https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/324308/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Ann Cao Ann Cao China has set up a new state-owned enterprise dedicated to managing the country’s massive data resources, a significant move designed to turbocharge the nation’s artificial intelligence industry and bolster its digital economy. The National Data Group Co – based in China’s “city of the future”, Xiongan New Area in northern Hebei province – is tasked with “developing and utilising data resources, unlocking the value of data elements, serving AI development and fostering a data industry... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3371540/china-creates-state-owned-firm-xiongan-develop-nations-ai-data-resources https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3371540/china-creates-state-owned-firm-xiongan-develop-nations-ai-data-resources Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:23:29 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s Xiongan New Area is accelerating its hunt for technology firms as the city, designed partly to house state-owned institutions relocated from Beijing, moves to nurture its own industries, according to people familiar with its plans and local officials. Officials were looking to attract tech companies that could reach valuations of 10 billion yuan (US$1.4 billion), hoping some would list on stock markets, including Hong Kong’s, in the next few years, sources said, adding that the key... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3369879/chinas-city-future-xiongan-hunting-high-value-tech-firms-sources https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3369879/chinas-city-future-xiongan-hunting-high-value-tech-firms-sources Wed, 07 Oct 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen A new high-speed railway section connecting Beijing to Xiongan and central Chinese provinces is poised to begin operations this month, filling a missing link in the 2,370km (1,472-mile) train journey from the nation’s capital to Hong Kong. By enabling more direct connectivity and train services to and from Hong Kong for northern and central regions, China aims to inject fresh development impetus into the Greater Bay Area – an integrated economic hub linking several southern cities – and inland... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3366422/how-chinas-new-railway-artery-bolsters-hong-kongs-ties-capital-central-heartland https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3366422/how-chinas-new-railway-artery-bolsters-hong-kongs-ties-capital-central-heartland Sat, 05 Sep 2026 03:00:12 +0000 Zoe SL Chan Zoe SL Chan China’s Mech-Mind Robotics Technologies plans to start taking investor orders for its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) on Monday and are targeting a debut date of September 1 amid a boom in artificial intelligence-driven robotics that has lifted investor enthusiasm, according to people familiar with the matter. The Meituan-backed company has started gauging interest for a listing that could raise about US$300 million, up from a US$200 million target a year ago, with its debut expected in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3364569/chinas-mech-mind-robotics-set-open-order-book-us300m-ipo-sources-say https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3364569/chinas-mech-mind-robotics-set-open-order-book-us300m-ipo-sources-say Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:30:10 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen The operator of budget online marketplaces Temu and Pinduoduo is ramping up its commitment in a state-backed development zone – dubbed a “city of the future” in official discourse – months after the e-commerce group was hit by the heaviest penalty in a record food-safety crackdown and accused by regulators of obstructing enforcement. PDD Holdings had more than 600 employees at its unit in the Xiongan New Area by the end of June, making it the development zone’s largest privately owned internet... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3359060/pdd-embraces-chinas-city-future-after-bruising-regulatory-clash-and-record-fine https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3359060/pdd-embraces-chinas-city-future-after-bruising-regulatory-clash-and-record-fine Thu, 02 Jul 2026 02:30:10 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Chinese technology companies establishing new headquarters and offices in northern cities around Beijing are expected to boost local rental demand, but analysts say home sales growth will be far milder than the surges delivered by traditional tech firms in previous years. Local governments hoping that red-hot artificial intelligence or chip companies setting up headquarters or research and development centres would lift slumping property markets as in the previous cycle were likely to be... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3358482/will-chinas-new-northern-tech-bases-hebei-and-tianjin-spark-local-housing-demand https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3358482/will-chinas-new-northern-tech-bases-hebei-and-tianjin-spark-local-housing-demand Sun, 28 Jun 2026 23:00:10 +0000 Peggy Ye Peggy Ye A hotel operator’s planned entry into Xiongan New Area southwest of Beijing highlights a tentative but growing alignment between Hong Kong’s private sector and the state-backed development project, as leaders renew efforts to accelerate the zone’s transformation into a hi-tech growth hub. Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings, said on Thursday that it had signed a management agreement with China Xiongan Group Public Service Management to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3351113/hong-kongs-langham-group-among-first-invest-beijings-city-future-xiongan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3351113/hong-kongs-langham-group-among-first-invest-beijings-city-future-xiongan Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:30:08 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for developing the Xiongan New Area into an innovation hub to drive high-quality growth. Xi made the call on Monday during his first inspection tour of the “city of the future” following the “two sessions” annual parliamentary meetings and the launch of China’s 15th five-year plan. The state-level megacity in Hebei province, about 100km (62 miles) southwest of Beijing, is Xi’s signature project aimed at taking the urban pressure off the capital. Xi visited... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3347690/xi-jinping-pushes-xiongan-embrace-science-and-technology-build-city-future https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3347690/xi-jinping-pushes-xiongan-embrace-science-and-technology-build-city-future Tue, 24 Mar 2026 07:29:46 +0000 Victoria Bela Victoria Bela Chinese firms have signalled plans to launch more than 200,000 internet satellites, filing submissions with a UN agency just as Beijing accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of crowding shared orbital resources. A dozen or so submissions from various Chinese satellite players were filed with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the end of last month. The biggest projects – CTC-1 and CTC-2 – were for 96,714 satellites each and filed by the newly established Institute of Radio Spectrum... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3339493/china-applies-put-200000-satellites-space-after-calling-starlink-crash-risk https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3339493/china-applies-put-200000-satellites-space-after-calling-starlink-crash-risk Sun, 11 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Mainland China’s methods in achieving rapid development in recent years offer “valuable insights” for Hong Kong to advance its planned Northern Metropolis megaproject, the city’s finance chief has said. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po also pledged that Hong Kong would align with national development strategies and stay focused on accelerating the megaproject near the mainland border, a key platform of the city’s Greater Bay Area integration. Hong Kong would also leverage its role as a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330380/hong-kong-can-learn-mainland-chinas-rapid-push-development-paul-chan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330380/hong-kong-can-learn-mainland-chinas-rapid-push-development-paul-chan Sun, 26 Oct 2025 10:50:35 +0000 Cannix Yau Cannix Yau Mainland China’s planning and construction methods for major new areas in Beijing and Hebei province offer valuable reference points for Hong Kong’s development and financing of the Northern Metropolis megaproject, the finance chief has said while meeting a top central government official in the capital. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po, who led a 40-strong government delegation to the two locations, shared his takeaways on Friday as he wrapped up his trip to the Beijing Municipal... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330235/beijing-hebei-projects-offer-inspiration-hong-kongs-northern-metropolis https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3330235/beijing-hebei-projects-offer-inspiration-hong-kongs-northern-metropolis Fri, 24 Oct 2025 10:00:49 +0000 Xinyi Wu,Carol Yang Xinyi Wu,Carol Yang Xiongan, China’s “city of the future” – a project years in the making, championed by President Xi Jinping – is slowly coming to life, as major state-owned enterprises (SOEs) begin relocating to the new metropolis in Hebei province. Sinochem Holdings and China Huaneng Group are among the latest to officially relocate their headquarters to Xiongan this month, each bringing about 1,000 employees, according to local authorities. They join other SOEs like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Railway Company, which... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3329950/chinas-soes-breathe-life-xi-jinpings-city-future-xiongan https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3329950/chinas-soes-breathe-life-xi-jinpings-city-future-xiongan Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Mandy Zuo,Sylvia Ma Mandy Zuo,Sylvia Ma At a surprising meeting of China’s political elite, it was declared that a sea change is needed in the nation’s urban development – shifting from a phase of large-scale, incremental expansion to one focused on optimising and enhancing existing resources. The message, coming amid a persistent real estate slump and slowing urbanisation, was delivered at the two-day Central Urban Work Conference that ended on Tuesday. In 2015, Beijing held its first such conference in decades, and it kicked off a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3318305/chinas-dated-urban-development-model-must-change-beijing-says-rare-meeting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3318305/chinas-dated-urban-development-model-must-change-beijing-says-rare-meeting Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:00:15 +0000 China’s futuristic megacity of Xiongan – a signature project of President Xi Jinping – has taken yet another step towards completion with a reinforced urban management structure. The Xiongan New Area, about 100km (62 miles) south of Beijing, now has 25 government agencies to guide its continued expansion, city authorities said after a meeting on Saturday. Among these are four district management committees, and 21 municipal departments – similar to existing urban centres, according to details... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3292658/chinas-city-future-xiongan-speeds-towards-ambitious-goals https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3292658/chinas-city-future-xiongan-speeds-towards-ambitious-goals Sun, 29 Dec 2024 11:00:09 +0000 To fund a futuristic megacity that has been one of President Xi Jinping’s pet projects for the better part of a decade, China has accelerated the issuance of ultra-long special bonds – intent on ensuring that the sprawling city is “basically completed” by 2035. The government of the Xiongan New Area, which is about 100km (62 miles) south of Beijing, sold five batches of the government bonds – all earmarked explicitly for the region’s development – in the third quarter. The five batches raised... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3288391/xi-jinpings-city-future-just-had-record-quarter-construction-financing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3288391/xi-jinpings-city-future-just-had-record-quarter-construction-financing Thu, 28 Nov 2024 01:00:16 +0000 Ever since China launched the Xiongan New Area seven years ago, a burning question has been hanging over the project: will it become the futuristic “modern socialist city” touted by the top leadership, or just an expensive ghost town predicted by the sceptics? The city, about 100km (60 miles) south of Beijing, was designed to reduce population pressure on the capital and speed up development in the surrounding province of Hebei and neighbouring mega-port of Tianjin. It will not be completed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3274316/can-chinas-city-future-xiongan-really-convince-people-swap-beijing-life https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3274316/can-chinas-city-future-xiongan-really-convince-people-swap-beijing-life Tue, 13 Aug 2024 22:00:13 +0000 Yuke Xie Yuke Xie Beijing’s office market is reeling from the departure of large state-owned enterprises (SOes) and tech giants from the city centre, causing rents to decline as much as 30 per cent lower from a year ago, according to market observers. The slump is likely to persist, as the relocation of large office occupiers, aimed at reducing Beijing’s “noncore” functions, has freed up significant commercial real estate, they said. As a result, Beijing’s overall office vacancy rate has reached the highest level... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3272057/large-scale-departures-beijing-city-centre-leave-gaping-hole-office-towers https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3272057/large-scale-departures-beijing-city-centre-leave-gaping-hole-office-towers Sun, 28 Jul 2024 02:00:19 +0000 In a network of 380km (236 miles) of tunnels that run through the sprawling expanse underneath Xiongan in northern China, researchers have unlocked a low-cost, high-precision, indoor navigation system. The team of researchers at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT), led by associate professor Lu Zhaoming, combined China’s BeiDou technology and indoor 5G networks to create a navigation system for what is set to be the world’s biggest underground city. “This advanced system is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3242691/new-signal-tech-guiding-way-under-chinas-next-megacity https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/science/article/3242691/new-signal-tech-guiding-way-under-chinas-next-megacity Tue, 12 Dec 2023 23:00:20 +0000 China should learn from the practices of the European Union to transform the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area – one of President Xi Jinping’s three major strategies for regional integration – into a common market, a think tank said on Thursday. Doing so would mean aligning rules and standards to facilitate greater flows of people and goods throughout the region, according to a proposal released by the Guangzhou Institute of the Greater Bay Area, headed by prominent political scientist... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3243557/chinas-plans-greater-bay-area-common-market-should-consider-eu-model-think-tank-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3243557/chinas-plans-greater-bay-area-common-market-should-consider-eu-model-think-tank-says Fri, 01 Dec 2023 14:00:14 +0000 President Xi Jinping wants to see a stronger push to develop China’s largest economic zone – the Yangtze River Economic Belt – with an emphasis on not only high-quality and green growth, but also security. The region, which covers 11 provinces and municipalities along the world’s third-longest river, needs to take a long-term perspective on ecological conservation and economic growth, Xi said on Thursday at a high-level meeting in Jiangxi, one of the participating provinces. Instead of striving... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3237870/xi-jinping-tells-chinas-biggest-economic-zone-balance-growth-and-security-and-no-more-mega-projects https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3237870/xi-jinping-tells-chinas-biggest-economic-zone-balance-growth-and-security-and-no-more-mega-projects Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:00:27 +0000 The Beijing authorities pledged over a decade ago to turn the capital into a “most liveable” world-class metropolis within the next 10 years. But despite a spree of infrastructure building, their ambitions took a blow after a torrential downpour in the summer of 2012 killed 37 people and effectively paralysed the city of over 20 million. China’s NGO teams rushing to flood-hit areas ‘told to wait for official invite’ While Beijing has clearly made progress in recent years in cutting pollution and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/article/3230417/floods-highlight-how-chinas-grand-ambitions-beijing-area-carry-heavy-cost-outlying-areas https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/article/3230417/floods-highlight-how-chinas-grand-ambitions-beijing-area-carry-heavy-cost-outlying-areas Tue, 08 Aug 2023 12:16:06 +0000 Top officials from Hebei province have visited some of China’s biggest state firms in Beijing as part of President Xi Jinping’s push to relocate some leading institutional headquarters to one of Xi’s signature projects. The visit came just over a month after Xi’s latest inspection trip to Xiongan New Area in an apparent attempt to dispel reluctance about the project and give another strong push to move “non-essential institutions” from China’s capital to the zone in neighbouring Hebei... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3223921/top-provincial-officials-survey-state-owned-enterprise-hqs-help-president-xi-jinping-move-key https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3223921/top-provincial-officials-survey-state-owned-enterprise-hqs-help-president-xi-jinping-move-key Tue, 13 Jun 2023 09:16:54 +0000 China is eight years into its grand plan to develop the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region into an integrated megalopolis and much of the success of the scheme will rest on the political will of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to observers. The camaraderie among the new leaders of the three regions would also be a critical factor, they said. The mega project would realise an ambition to reshape Beijing into one of the world’s grand political and cultural capitals, while its surrounding areas... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3221166/xi-jinping-gives-chinas-mega-capital-jing-jin-ji-plans-nudge-high-powered-visit https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/3221166/xi-jinping-gives-chinas-mega-capital-jing-jin-ji-plans-nudge-high-powered-visit Sat, 20 May 2023 04:00:08 +0000 Is Xiongan a new Pudong or a Potemkin? Is it the latest Shenzhen or just a Shangri-la? President Xi Jinping took a bullish attitude during his recent inspection of the city-in-progress, describing it as “sophisticated” and “a miracle”. He also said practice had shown the Communist Party Central Committee’s decision on building the Xiongan New Area is “entirely correct”. Xiongan is a done deal, politically, given that it’s a prestige project backed by the party, but the build is still incomplete... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/opinion/article/3220507/strict-city-planning-lack-dynamism-could-limit-xiongans-growth-its-even-finished https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/opinion/article/3220507/strict-city-planning-lack-dynamism-could-limit-xiongans-growth-its-even-finished Mon, 15 May 2023 08:15:07 +0000 President Xi Jinping has hailed the development of a new city outside Beijing as a “miracle” and ordered officials to speed up plans to relocate institutions from the capital. Xi made the remarks on Wednesday as he inspected Xiongan New Area, a signature project first announced in 2017. The goal is to relocate some state-run institutions, including state-owned enterprises and universities based in Beijing, to the site, which is about 100km (60 miles) southwest of Beijing, to ease the pressures... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3220215/chinese-president-xi-jinping-signals-fresh-drive-move-state-institutions-out-beijing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/politics/article/3220215/chinese-president-xi-jinping-signals-fresh-drive-move-state-institutions-out-beijing Thu, 11 May 2023 11:00:26 +0000 China is planning to improve the supply of and access to housing rentals through greater credit support and expanding the financial channels available for leasing as the country seeks to stabilise the property sector and address problems among some demographics, particularly young home seekers. The 17 measures, introduced in a draft released on Friday, would enhance financial institutions’ capacity for lending to firms that lease residential property, according to a statement by the People’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3211536/china-expand-financial-support-home-rentals-amid-broader-support-property-market https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3211536/china-expand-financial-support-home-rentals-amid-broader-support-property-market Sat, 25 Feb 2023 09:00:10 +0000 Turbulent times are seeing Beijing dust off its old playbook that calls for ramping up infrastructure investments across the country, in an industrious bid to offset damage to the world’s second-largest economy by ongoing coronavirus restrictions and a faltering property sector. Indeed, the pace of infrastructure investment continues to accelerate. Year-over-year growth was 8.6 per cent in the first nine months of 2022, or 0.3 percentage points higher than during the first eight months. Hundreds... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3197048/what-are-chinas-major-infrastructure-projects-economically-fraught-2022 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3197048/what-are-chinas-major-infrastructure-projects-economically-fraught-2022 Tue, 25 Oct 2022 03:00:11 +0000 As China gradually recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, travel restrictions have been relaxed; but this has not made getting around as a foreigner any easier. During a reporting trip to Xiongan New Area in China’s northern Hebei province, I was rejected, for the first time, by a hotel I had already paid for because of my travel document. Even after explaining I had recently completed a 14-day mandatory quarantine at a designated facility in Beijing, they were unmoved. “We are just not taking... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3101181/how-coronavirus-has-made-travel-china-whole-lot-harder-foreigners https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3101181/how-coronavirus-has-made-travel-china-whole-lot-harder-foreigners Sat, 12 Sep 2020 06:00:14 +0000 Countless towering cranes dominate the skyline in the Xiongan New Area of northeastern Hebei province, as construction ramps up at ground zero for one of China’s most ambitious projects – building a dream city from scratch. China has vowed to spend billions on infrastructure projects this year in a bid to boost the nation’s economic recovery and stabilise the job market after the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Xiongan, located about a two-hour drive south of central Beijing, is in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3100820/construction-chinas-city-future-highlights-beijings-renewed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3100820/construction-chinas-city-future-highlights-beijings-renewed Sat, 12 Sep 2020 03:30:15 +0000 Xiongan New Area, President Xi Jinping’s attempt to build a bustling new metropolis just outside Beijing, is pushing ahead with the construction of comprehensive smart city infrastructure, offering a taste of the future for city dwellers. The former backwater consisting of three counties in Hebei province is building an intelligent urban management system that can cover everything “from the sky, to the underground to terminals and end devices”, according to a statement from city authorities on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/innovation/article/3027415/president-xis-dream-city-xiongan-pushes-ahead-smart-city https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/innovation/article/3027415/president-xis-dream-city-xiongan-pushes-ahead-smart-city Mon, 16 Sep 2019 05:55:27 +0000 China’s big three state-owned airlines are engaged in a tussle for the rights to fly into and out of the new mega airport in Beijing, which will be among the world’s biggest when it opens in September. Intensive lobbying, high-level horse trading and political manoeuvring are dominating a drama which will help define the future of the world’s biggest airline market. The three state-owned airlines are scrapping it out for landing slots at Beijing Daxing International Airport, in an episode of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3008696/chinas-airlines-jostle-position-new-mega-airport-rare-glimpse https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3008696/chinas-airlines-jostle-position-new-mega-airport-rare-glimpse Fri, 03 May 2019 05:03:31 +0000 Politics is always intertwined with the economy, especially when it comes to state-driven strategic projects. Take, as a good example, the announcement of the blueprint for China’s “Greater Bay Area” strategy to transform Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong province into the world’s largest innovation and development powerhouse. It was met with applause by many in Hong Kong, but also sparked anxiety among others who fear the city’s political and economic status will be diminished in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2187481/why-greater-bay-area-which-includes-hong-kong-more https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2187481/why-greater-bay-area-which-includes-hong-kong-more Sun, 24 Feb 2019 10:06:18 +0000 Beijing has renewed its push to achieve President Xi Jinping’s ambitious plan to create a new metropolis in an industrial and environmental backwater after a two-year lull filled with uncertainty and criticism. A 13,000-word government document on turning Xiongan New Area in north China’s Hebei province into a city of innovation by 2035 was published by Xinhua on Thursday, just a week after Xi paid his second visit to the region in two years. Pundits said the combination of the document and the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/2183804/xi-jinping-visits-xiongan-new-area-show-impatience-lack-progress-future https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/2183804/xi-jinping-visits-xiongan-new-area-show-impatience-lack-progress-future Sun, 27 Jan 2019 09:00:00 +0000 This past week, as some of the deadliest wildfires on record continued to blaze in California, the San Francisco Bay Area, including Silicon Valley, has experienced air quality in the “hazardous” range – far worse, on some days, than that of Beijing during its notorious 2013 smog, before the Chinese government took measures to reduce pollutants from coal combustion. For residents of San Francisco, their present “airpocalypse” brings home the reality that, with unchecked global warming,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175569/rival-us-and-chinese-innovators-have-common-cause https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/insight-opinion/hong-kong/article/2175569/rival-us-and-chinese-innovators-have-common-cause Thu, 29 Nov 2018 15:30:15 +0000 Government officials behind Xiongan New Area, the Chinese president’s ambitious plan to transform dusty plains into a dream city, have engaged software company ConsenSys as a consultant on the use of blockchain, in another example of China adopting the technology behind cryptocurrencies despite bans on the digital money itself. ConsenSys will advise the Xiongan government on how to use blockchain and provide software solutions, according to a ConsenSys statement on a memorandum of understanding... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/2156396/xiongan-calls-us-company-consensys-bring-blockchain-technology-xi-jinpings https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/2156396/xiongan-calls-us-company-consensys-bring-blockchain-technology-xi-jinpings Mon, 23 Jul 2018 04:00:00 +0000 China aims to supply a new economic zone being built near Beijing, known as the Xiongan New Area, with 100 per cent clean electricity, according to Xinhua News Agency. The goal is part of an ambitious plan by Chinese President Xi Jinping to remake a backwater region into a glittering new technology and innovation hub. Electricity will account for more than half of the energy consumption at Xiongan, Xinhua reported Sunday, without elaborating. State Grid Corp of China has established a subsidiary... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2142919/china-sets-100-cent-clean-power-target-xi-jinpings-new https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2142919/china-sets-100-cent-clean-power-target-xi-jinpings-new Mon, 23 Apr 2018 07:17:11 +0000 The City of London has set up a “green finance centre” with a Chinese partner to fund sustainable development projects, and the first beneficiary may be Xiongan, a district earmarked by President Xi Jinping as the site for a massive new city in northern China. The move comes as London’s financial district tries to increase its business links with China and expand overseas markets ahead of Britain leaving the European Union. The centre will work with the China Green Finance Committee to develop... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/economy/article/2139122/city-london-set-green-finance-centre-help-build-xis-dream-city https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/economy/article/2139122/city-london-set-green-finance-centre-help-build-xis-dream-city Tue, 27 Mar 2018 10:58:36 +0000 From fighting poverty to cutting corporate taxes, some of China’s most prominent businessmen brought their best ideas to one of the nation’s most important political gatherings. The annual meetings of China’s legislature and political advisory body provided executives from companies including Tencent Holdings and automaker Zhejiang Geely Holding Group with a platform to lobby for policies and show their support of government initiatives. Here’s where corporate leaders stand on the top issues... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2137832/cdrs-xiongan-here-are-hot-topics-chinas-business-titans-nations https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2137832/cdrs-xiongan-here-are-hot-topics-chinas-business-titans-nations Mon, 19 Mar 2018 06:08:55 +0000 China should consider cutting taxes in Xiongan New Area economic zone outside Beijing to attract world-class talent as the country ramps up its efforts to build itself into a global innovation powerhouse, Baidu CEO Robin Li Yanhong said.  Xiongan, created last year under direct orders from President Xi Jinping, consists of three counties in Hebei province and will take over some secondary functions from Beijing to alleviate the traffic and population pressure in the Chinese capital. The new city... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/2135573/baidu-ceo-calls-lower-taxes-xis-dream-city-xiongan-attract-talent https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/article/2135573/baidu-ceo-calls-lower-taxes-xis-dream-city-xiongan-attract-talent Sat, 03 Mar 2018 13:45:00 +0000 Stocks linked to the Xiongan New Area economic zone outside Beijing that was hand-picked by President Xi Jinping added momentum to a rally in Chinese equities on expectations the state will soon embark on big projects in the area. Companies based in Beijing and the northern province of Hebei ranging from cement maker BBMG Corp and property developer China Fortune Land Development surged at least 6 per cent in Shanghai trading on Wednesday. In a meeting chaired by Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli a day... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/2126630/stocks-linked-xiongan-new-area-rally-china-vice-premier https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/2126630/stocks-linked-xiongan-new-area-rally-china-vice-premier Wed, 03 Jan 2018 05:01:39 +0000 Farmers in Rongcheng county often stop to stare at the cement trucks running through their cornfields outside this dusty, frigid town south of Beijing. They are watching the destruction of their livelihoods for the promise of a more prosperous future. Chinese President Xi Jinping stood in nearby fields in April to herald a project “crucial for the next millennium”. Officials described a massive hi-tech hub three times the size of New York City that would resuscitate poor areas and transform how... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2126631/can-chinas-communist-party-build-innovation-capital https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2126631/can-chinas-communist-party-build-innovation-capital Wed, 03 Jan 2018 04:59:42 +0000 Hebei Construction Group, one of the first builders of the Chinese President’s dream city outside Beijing to tap the capital markets, has received a cold shoulder from investors, as its HK$1.93 billion (US$248 million) initial public offer was left partially subscribed. Investors submitted bids for 42.76 million shares, less than 99 per cent of the number of shares on offer, the Baoding-based company said in a statement. The company’s shares are offered at the bottom of a price range of between... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2124296/capital-raising-plan-xi-jinpings-dream-city-builder-elicits-yawn https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2124296/capital-raising-plan-xi-jinpings-dream-city-builder-elicits-yawn Thu, 14 Dec 2017 06:24:53 +0000 A share offering this week of up to HK$2.32 billion (US$297 million) by China’s Hebei Construction will be the first listing in Hong Kong of a company linked to Beijing’s ambitious Xiongan special economic zone project. Xiongan New Area, established in April and just a couple of hours south of Beijing, is part of China’s efforts to transfer some functions out of the increasingly crowded capital and find new growth drivers led by innovation and technology. Some analysts have put the possible... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2122843/hebei-construction-us297m-ipo-first-hong-kong-target-chinas https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/2122843/hebei-construction-us297m-ipo-first-hong-kong-target-chinas Mon, 04 Dec 2017 13:30:00 +0000 Workers have planted 33,000 trees within 12 days at the site chosen for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “dream city”, the local authorities have claimed. The management committee for Xiongan, the area outside Beijing chosen by Xi to become a new hi-tech hub, announced the tree-planting drive on Weibo on Saturday, saying they planned to create “splendid vegetation to last a thousand years”. About 260,000 plants from nearby nursery gardens will be planted within a 667-hectare area by the end of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/society/article/2121599/let-thousand-trees-bloom-chinese-officials-start-drive-give-xi https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/society/article/2121599/let-thousand-trees-bloom-chinese-officials-start-drive-give-xi Sun, 26 Nov 2017 06:00:39 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ambition to build a dream city in the country’s industrial heartland is unlikely to come true without more aggressive market-oriented reforms, a researcher affiliated with China’s state planner has warned. The comments by Qiao Runling, an urban development expert at the National Development and Reform Commission, follows the pledge to transform the Xiongan New Area into the next business hub along the lines of Shanghai and Shenzhen. Speaking at a forum held by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2120491/xi-jinpings-dream-city-could-be-killed-bureaucracy-and https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2120491/xi-jinpings-dream-city-could-be-killed-bureaucracy-and Sun, 19 Nov 2017 08:45:45 +0000 Xiongan, the area outside Beijing that was hand-picked by Chinese president Xi Jinping as the dream city for his “thousand-year” plan to transform the capital, will be developed into a high-technology hub and showcase of the country’s latest innovations, said the Communist Party chief of the district. The district will seek out companies engaged in information technology, biotechnology, new energy and new materials, providing them with various incentives and benefits to invest and establish... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/enterprises/article/2116178/what-will-china-build-xi-jinpings-dream-city-it-biotech-new-energy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/enterprises/article/2116178/what-will-china-build-xi-jinpings-dream-city-it-biotech-new-energy Thu, 19 Oct 2017 23:01:49 +0000 President Xi Jinping’s ambitious scheme to build a new city at Xiongan in northern China will not only change the landscape of the little known area in Hebei province, but also aims to create a new world underground. Chinese geologists are examining subterranean conditions of Xiong, Rongcheng and Anxin counties, which will become a new district to rival special economic zones such as Shenzhen and Pudong in Shanghai, in the hope of building structures under the ground as well as above, state... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2099987/parts-xi-jinpings-dream-city-be-built-underground https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2099987/parts-xi-jinpings-dream-city-be-built-underground Mon, 26 Jun 2017 06:15:15 +0000 Despite the rhetoric, Beijing is not planning to make Xiongan New Area another Shenzhen. Shenzhen is a megacity of 12 million people, while Xiongan’s population will be kept at 2.5 million for the foreseeable future. The best planning clue may be found outside China – in Seongnam city near Seoul. Seongnam’s population is 10 per cent of Seoul’s. Xiongan’s planned population is 10 per cent of Beijing’s. To speed up Seongnam’s development, the Korean government relocated major state utilities... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/insight-opinion/article/2094073/how-greater-seoul-model-can-help-beijing-realise-its-vision https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/comment/insight-opinion/article/2094073/how-greater-seoul-model-can-help-beijing-realise-its-vision Sun, 14 May 2017 06:01:08 +0000 Five years into his rule, and in the middle of a long campaign against corrupt factions in the ruling elite who had captured much of the economy and accumulated vast wealth, the national leader sought to consolidate his position by ordering the construction of a new city on virgin land south of the existing capital. In building his new city, he not only hoped to leave a physical monument to his own grandeur for all posterity, but he also aimed to create a new cultural, commercial and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/2092332/what-chinas-xiongan-new-area-can-learn-ancient-egypt https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/2092332/what-chinas-xiongan-new-area-can-learn-ancient-egypt Mon, 08 May 2017 02:01:09 +0000 Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli has stressed the need for “steady” planning in an ambitious new economic zone the government has touted as a driver of growth in the country’s north, state-run Xinhua reported on Sunday. The zone, in Xiongan, Hebei province, around 100km southwest of Beijing, will house some of Beijing’s relocated “non-capital functions”. It covers an area of 100 sq km but will eventually be expanded to 2,000 sq km. Xiongan is not Shenzhen or Pudong: why latest new area may... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2093330/china-stresses-steady-planning-new-economic-zone https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/policies-politics/article/2093330/china-stresses-steady-planning-new-economic-zone Sun, 07 May 2017 12:00:13 +0000