Beijing's key municipal organs move to sub-center

Four key municipal organs of Beijing moved their offices from the downtown area to the eastern suburb of Tongzhou District, the city's sub-center, on Friday.

The office building of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress in the new sub-center in Beijing's Tongzhou district. [Photo: VCG]

The four organs are the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, Beijing Municipal People's Government and the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

A flag raising ceremony is held at dawn on January 11, 2019 in front of the new office building of Beijing Municipal Government in the new sub-center in Beijing's Tongzhou district. [Photo: CCTV]

At around 7:36 a.m., a ceremony for raising the national flag was held at a square in the office zone of the sub-center.

Cai Qi, secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, said Beijing will strive to turn the sub-center into a model of urban development in a new era and a new landmark for the capital.

Residents take pictures of the original plaque of Beijing Municipal Government as it is removed from the government offices’ former site and sent to the Beijing Municipal Archives for storage on Jan 10, 2019. [Photo: CCTV]

Beijing is shifting some of its administrative functions out of the city center into Tongzhou to help address problems including traffic congestion and air pollution. The move is also part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrated development plan.

The sub-center aims to accommodate 1.3 million permanent residents by 2035, according a detailed plan for the sub-center's development approved by the central authorities.