Beijing to launch second phase of sub-center construction

Beijing plans to launch the second phase of its sub-center construction in the northeastern Tongzhou district and build a comprehensive transportation hub, after key municipal organs moved to its new offices in the sub-center, a senior official said on Monday.

The capital aimed to construct and design a high quality and eco-friendly city sub-center, said Chen Jining, mayor of Beijing, during the opening ceremony of the second session of the 15th Beijing People’s Congress.

“The landscape project will be thoroughly carried out in Tongzhou district to establish a better canal business zone,” he said.

He added a number of public service projects, including the sub-center theater, libraries and museums, will start construction and the old town in Tongzhou district will conduct ecological restoration to better protect its environment and complete urban repairs.

Border areas of the capital and Langfang, a city in neighboring Hebei province, will also be strengthened to better promote coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The overall construction of the sub-center is steadily progressing, said Tan Xuxiang, director of the city’s reform and development commission.

“We are working on 235 major projects in 2019, with 136 under construction,” he said. “A total of 75 billion yuan had completed investment.”

Zhao Lei, director of the Tongzhou district and also a deputy to the congress, said the district had completed 19 projects this year and the green space as well as waters of the sub-center will be substantially increased to achieve harmonic coexistence for water and urban areas.

By 2035, the green space in the city’s sub-center will reach 41 square kilometers, with forest coverage rate achieving 100 percent.

A system to control water pollution and ensure safety through flood control facilities is also expected to be established in the city’s sub-center.