The great outer ring known as "Beijing's 7th Ring" is also under accelerated construction, with 437 km of the southwestern half already completed. Of the 940 km total length, 850 km are in Hebei, linking expressways such as Beijing-Zhangjiakou, Beijing-Shenyang, Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Taipei, Daqing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Zhuhai, forming a "one ring, six radials" expressway network.

　　The 2,800-plus-km Beijing-Kunming Expressway aims to connect with Beijing's West 6th Ring Road within the year; Beijing South Railway Station has added a waiting lounge for Tianjin Airport, where passengers can directly check in for Tianjin Airport flights. This year, Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are accelerating the construction of integrated transportation to inject new momentum into the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, according to CCTV News.

　　Highways

　　"Beijing's 7th Ring" 437 km completed

　　Opening dead-end roads and improving the transportation network. The 2,800-plus-km Beijing-Kunming Expressway becomes a dead-end road at Laishui, Hebei, only 24 km from Beijing, and has been so for 6 years. Now, Beijing and Hebei are constructing separately, striving to achieve seamless connection between the Beijing-Kunming Expressway and Beijing's West 6th Ring Road within the year, adding a new major corridor into Beijing for Hebei.

　　Due to inconsistent planning schedules and construction standards in the past, six expressways including Beijing-Kunming, Beijing-Taipei, and Beijing-Qinhuangdao, and eight national and provincial trunk lines around Beijing have remained dead-end roads.

　　Deng Wei, Director of the Comprehensive Planning Division of the Hebei Provincial Department of Transportation, said, "The transportation departments of Hebei and Beijing are actively coordinating to ensure these dead-end roads are opened as soon as possible within one to two years."

　　In addition to opening dead-end roads, the great outer ring known as "Beijing's 7th Ring" is under accelerated construction, with 437 km of the southwestern half already completed. Of the 940 km total length, 850 km are in Hebei, linking expressways such as Beijing-Zhangjiakou, Beijing-Shenyang, Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Taipei, Daqing-Guangzhou, and Beijing-Zhuhai, forming a "one ring, six radials" expressway network, which can alleviate Beijing's traffic pressure and bring cities around Beijing closer together.

　　High-speed rail

　　Tianjin-Baoding high-speed rail expected to open next year

　　The under-construction Tianjin-Baoding high-speed rail from Baoding, Hebei, to Tianjin is expected to open next year, forming a half-hour high-speed rail circle among Beijing, Tianjin, and Baoding, and shortening travel time from Shijiazhuang to Tianjin from the current over 4 hours to about 1 hour.

　　Airport

　　Tianjin check-in available at Beijing South Railway Station

　　After the new capital airport was located at the Beijing-Hebei border, Tianjin Airport has also extended its reach to Beijing. A few days ago, a Tianjin Airport waiting lounge was added at the exit of Beijing South Railway Station, where passengers can directly check in for Tianjin Airport flights.

　　According to reports, after buying a ticket here, passengers can take the high-speed rail directly to Tianjin Station, where airport shuttle buses are available at the exit, about half an hour faster than going from South Station to Beijing Airport.

　　Tourism

　　Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei One Card expands again

　　The increasingly dense transportation network has brought the tourism markets of the three regions closer. The tourism "One Card" jointly launched by the tourism departments of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei three years ago is expanding again this year; cardholders can enjoy group discounts at over 100 attractions and nearly 1,000 merchants in the three regions.

　　Ma Benzhong, Director of the Market Promotion Division of the Tianjin Tourism Bureau, introduced that the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism has communicated with relevant banks in Beijing and hopes to launch the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Tourism One Card in Beijing this year.

　　Transportation plan

　　Integrated transportation plan being drafted

　　The draft Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integrated transportation plan shows: by 2020, the three regions will form a 9,000-km expressway network and a 3-hour road transportation circle among major cities, a 9,500-km railway network and a 1-hour high-speed rail transportation circle among major cities, Capital Airport passenger volume will exceed 100 million, and the first phase of the new capital airport will be put into use.

　　Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei transportation planning goals (by 2020)

　　Highways

　　● 9,000-km expressway network

　　● 3-hour road transportation circle among major cities

　　Railways

　　● 9,500-km railway network

　　● 1-hour high-speed rail transportation circle among major cities

　　Airports

　　● Capital Airport passenger volume to exceed 100 million

　　● First phase of the new capital airport to be put into use

　　■ Progress

　　Central SOE subsidiary relocates entirely to Handan

　　Beijing Lingyun, a subsidiary of central SOE Xinxing Cathay, to relocate entirely

　　After "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration" rose to a national strategy, industrial docking between Beijing and Hebei has recently seen action. Recently, Beijing Lingyun Company, a subsidiary of central SOE Xinxing Cathay Group and a leading domestic producer of the pharmaceutical ingredient sodium bicarbonate, announced it will relocate entirely to Handan, Hebei.

　　Previously, some questioned whether the company's entry into Handan would bring environmental pollution. Yesterday, Li Dejin, Director of the Handan Jinnan New Area Management Committee, said that because Handan has steel enterprises, the relocated company will collect carbon dioxide emitted by steel enterprises and use it as raw material to produce baking soda. Therefore, it can "resolve pollution."

　　It is understood that Beijing Lingyun Company under Xinxing Cathay is a chemical enterprise producing pharmaceutical ingredients, and the production of raw materials mainly requires carbon dioxide.

　　Li Dejin revealed that the area is currently in contact with Beijing regarding the transfer of industries such as technology innovation centers and advanced coal safety production equipment. He introduced that Jinnan New Area welcomes equipment manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental protection, advertising creativity, and eco-tourism industries to settle, hoping to undertake resource reuse, urban waste treatment, and technology grafting and cooperation.

　　It is reported that Jinnan New Area is one of the 18 key development areas in the national "12th Five-Year Plan," adjacent to the four provinces of Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, and Henan. Reporter Li Dandan, The Beijing News

　　Some Dahongmen businesses expected to move to Baigou

　　Baigou says it is in contact with Fengtai District, "hopes are relatively high"

　　Yesterday, at the 2014 China Urbanization High-Level International Forum, Yang Jianjun, Executive Deputy Director of the Baigou New City Management Committee and Party Secretary of Baigou Town, revealed that they are in contact with Fengtai District, and there is "relatively high hope" that some Dahongmen businesses will move to Baigou.

　　Reporter: When did you start contacting Fengtai? How is the progress?

　　Yang Jianjun: Contact started before the Spring Festival last year, and we haven't felt any competitors yet. Currently, the hope that some Dahongmen businesses will move to Baigou is relatively high, and we are confident. The main docking involves knitwear and small commodity wholesale. Once this industry comes over, logistics and warehousing will follow, and we have prepared logistics capacity. Next month, the two sides will sign an agreement.

　　Reporter: What preparations have been made to undertake this market transfer?

　　Yang Jianjun: We are building a new commercial and trade city covering 10,000 mu, with a planned investment of 50 billion yuan; we plan to build a 5 million square meter new commercial and trade city, with the first phase of 1.1 million square meters completed. For undertaking the Beijing market transfer, the existing 300,000 square meter market mall has been reserved without other businesses. In addition, we promise a 5-year rent-free period for Beijing markets coming over, which is a policy incentive.

　　Reporter: What is Baigou's appeal to these merchants?

　　Yang Jianjun: For wholly-owned businesses, we can provide space; for joint ventures, we have enterprises to cooperate with, and we are currently formulating some preferential policies.

　　Reporter: What are the focus areas of Baigou's development?

　　Yang Jianjun: In the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei integration, we are currently positioned as an "international tourism and commercial city." Baigou has a commercial foundation, and for tourism, there is Baiyangdian. As for the focus, Hebei previously issued principled guidance, and Baoding has positioned us to mainly undertake administrative institutions and commerce.