Achievements in the construction of Xiong'an New Area

Many significant achievements have been made in the construction of Xiong'an New Area since it was established one year ago about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing. It is one of China's largest national-level economic development areas, which include Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Shanghai Pudong New Area.

Xiong'an New Area [File Photo: IC]

Here are some of the most significant achievements in its development so far.

1. New intercity railway between Beijing and Xiong'an New Area is under construction

The construction of a new intercity railway between Beijing and Xiong'an New Area began on February 28, 2018. It will shorten travel time to half an hour, cutting around one hour off the current travel time. The line will begin at Liying Station on the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, and will run through Daxing District in Beijing, Beijing's new airport, and Bazhou in Hebei Province, before ending in Xiong'an. Total investment in the 92-kilometer line and its five stations will be around 33.5 billion yuan (5.3 billion U.S. dollars).

The groundbreaking ceremony of the intercity railway between Beijing and Xiong'an New Area is held in Xiong'an, Hebei Province on February 28, 2018. [Photo: China Plus/Li Lin]

2. First construction project in Xiong'an New Area is nearing completion

Construction of the new public services center in Xiong'an New Area is nearing completion. The center is the first construction project in Xiong'an New Area since the new economic zone was established on April 1 last year.

The new public services center in Xiong'an New Area in Hebei Province. [Photo: people.cn]

3. AI-City Program in Xiong'an New Area is underway

The administrative committee of Xiong'an New Area signed a strategic cooperation agreement with China's Internet giant Baidu in December last year for the AI-City Program. The program aims to integrate AI technology into the urban development of the area.

Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent will open branches in the Xiong'an New Area that will contribute to work in areas including big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, financial technology, and autonomous vehicles.

The headquarters of Chinese Internet search giant Baidu in Beijing, May 8, 2016. [Photo: IC]

4. Photovoltaic tree installed in Xiong'an New Area

A photovoltaic tree was installed in Xiong'an New Area on February 8, 2018. The tree generates electricity as well as decorating the local area. The 5 kilowatt photovoltaic tree can generate 500 kilowatt hours of electricity per month, which is about 6,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. It was developed by the Eleventh Design & Research Institute.

A photovoltaic tree in Xiong'an New Area. [Photo: hebei.com.cn]