Adjustments boost efficiency in Xiong'an

The Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province has taken a solid step towards transitioning into an urban management system, with newly adjusted departments and committees now operational. The move is part of efforts to support high-standard construction and high-quality development in the national-level new area.

Located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, Xiong'an was established in April 2017 to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, a key national strategy.

The area convened a mobilization meeting on Saturday to announce organizational adjustments. According to the adjustments, the area now houses 21 working departments and four subdistrict administrative committees. The changes aim to enhance institutional functions, including in education, healthcare, technological innovation, industrial development, administrative approvals and urban governance.

The restructuring adheres to principles of streamlining and efficiency, aligning with directives from President Xi Jinping during his May 2023 visit to Xiong'an. Xi emphasized the need to make steady progress toward the establishment of an urban management system.

Under the new adjustments, Xiong'an now operates under a two-tier management structure encompassing the new area and subdistricts and a three-tier service model that includes communities. The changes strengthen the role of administrative committees in four key sub-districts: Rongdong, Rongxi, Zan'gang and a startup area.

Xiong'an's administrative committee, a dispatched agency of the Hebei provincial government, wields powers akin to a municipal government but with provincial-level authority over economic and social management. A regulation implemented in 2021 mandates that Xiong'an optimize its organizational structure for efficiency and establish a comprehensive institutional framework.

The adjustments are driving innovations in management hierarchy, resource allocation, law enforcement, public services and urban operations. Officials are also creating effective market mechanisms to spur development and a modern social security system to enhance public services.

Efforts are underway to provide staffing support for relocated universities, hospitals, newly established schools and community health centers, facilitating Xiong'an's role as a hub for relocating noncapital functions from Beijing. Together with Beijing's subcenter in Tongzhou, Xiong'an is part of a dual-wing strategy addressing Beijing's urban challenges.

As of present, the development area of Xiong'an spans more than 200 square km and it boasts a total construction area of nearly 50 million square meters, with 4,780 buildings completed, according to the administrative committee.

By 2035, Xiong'an aims to become a high-level, modern socialist city characterized by green development, openness, innovation, smart systems, livability, and harmony between people and nature, according to the area's development plans.

zhangyu1@chinadaily.com.cn