Capital way to reduce the pressure on the center

Office buildings under construction in Tongzhou. [Photo by Zhou Xiao For China Daily]

Zheng Xiangdong, secretary general of the organizing committee of the Beijing International Property Expo

Q: Why it is important that the municipal government offices and affiliated institutions are moved out of the city center?

Z: The city's natural resources are limited. For instance, Beijing is still short of water even though the country has been diverting water from the south to the north for years. With the rapid development of the city, more and more people are attracted to it, which has put severe pressure on the city. Thus, it's urgent to move some non-core functions from Beijing to other areas to relieve the pressure on the center. In the future, Beijing will be the country's political, cultural, international communication and technology innovation center. Other functions will be moved.

Q: What should the government do to better manage the city functions?

Z: On one hand, the government needs to attract high-end industries and talent, which means it has to provide high-quality public services for them. On the other hand, low-end business activities such as the clothing trading center and the dog market, which occupy large areas of land for little returns to the city, can be relocated to other places.

Q: What obstacles might the city face during the transfer of functions?

Z: A realistic problem is relocation of businesses such as the clothes traders and the dog vendors, which are required to move. Many of the people in those non-core industries are not local Beijing people, so the related government departments should adopt reasonable measures to help them transfer their businesses elsewhere. In particular, the e-commerce industry is growing rapidly in China and the authorities can encourage those small business owners to continue their businesses online.

Q: How will residents suffer the pain caused by the city's transformation?

Z: We need a change of perspective on this issue. The city's transformation is a must and will produce long-term benefits. Both the city government and small business owners will lose money when the low-end industries remove to other places for a short period. However, it provides chances for both the city and those people to get involved in the high-end industries if they can find their way. There will be short-term pain for long-term gain.