REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE GOVERNMENT

Delivered at the Fifth Session of the Fifteenth Beijing Municipal People's Congress on January 6th, 2022

Chen Jining, Mayor of Beijing

Fellow Deputies,

On behalf of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, I will now report to you on the work of the government for your deliberation and approval. I also invite comments and suggestions from members of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

I. Review of Work During 2021

The year 2021 marked a milestone in the history of our Party and nation. We have been working under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the direct leadership of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee. We have also received support and supervision from the Beijing Municipal People's Congress and its Standing Committee. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the visions outlined at the 19th CPC National Congress, the plenary sessions of the 19th CPC Central Committee, and the instructions of General-Secretary Xi Jinping in his speeches on Beijing, we have made progress while ensuring stable performance, and fully and faithfully implemented the new development philosophy in all respects. Taking into account our city's role as the national capital, we have balanced economic and social development with Covid-19 containment, made further progress in the city's various endeavors, and fulfilled the tasks set forth at the fourth session of the fifteenth Municipal People's Congress, thus making a good start to the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

We have fulfilled Beijing's responsibilities as the capital and delivered quality services for the centenary celebration of the CPC. With greater passion, people in Beijing have embarked on a new journey of modernization.

We have made an all-out effort to finalize the preparations for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Several rounds of practical trials have been organized and completed with a strong sense of mission and honor. Everything that is required is now in place.

We have continued to put people and lives first, sparing no effort in keeping the regular control measures in place against Covid-19. Thanks to a concerted and enormous effort by the people, the achievements in containing Covid-19 have been sustained.

We have demonstrated an enterprising spirit in serving and becoming an integral part of the country's new development paradigm. We have focused on five key projects[1] for development, improved people's lives, and raised Beijing's high-quality development to a new level.

According to preliminary estimates, the GRP exceeded 4 trillion yuan, up 8.5% from last year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 1.1%. The per capita disposable income of residents rose by 8% in real terms. The economic structure and quality of growth continued to improve. Per capita GRP and labor productivity (as measured by output per worker) ranked first in the country.

A number of proprietary technologies with international influence, including long-life superconducting qubit chips and the discovery of antitumor immune function of pyroptosis have emerged. New headway has been made in addressing technological bottlenecks in key and core sectors. A number of underlying technologies that can boost key industries have been developed, such as the Chang'An Chain[2].

The average concentration of fine particulate matters (PM2.5) over the year was 33 micrograms per cubic meter, and the city has seen notable and continuous improvement of its air quality. Beijing's success in air pollution control has been hailed by the United Nations Environment Program.

During the past year, the municipal government has accomplished the following main tasks.

First, we have implemented the Master Plan of Beijing (2016-2035) and made greater headway in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development.

We have stuck to the Master Plan, launched a number of special programs and action plans, completed our assessment of the implementation of the Master Plan and the Development Control Plan for Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC), and conducted our annual checkup of the core zone[3]. We have met the development goals set out for the first phase in the implementation of the Master Plan. The capital's planning system has been substantially improved. Beijing's strategic position as the "four centers"[4] has been further strengthened.

We have implemented the 14th Five-Year Plan on Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development and launched a new round of special operations for urban improvement. By virtue of better coordination, we have vacated 3,316 hectares of land through demolition of illegal structures, and greened 925 hectares of the vacated land. The annual targets of environmental improvement for spaces under bridges and in back streets and alleys have been met. We have fully supported the development of Xiong'an New Area and made smooth progress in building a kindergarten, a primary school, a middle school and a large hospital there. The Decisions on Promoting High-Quality Development of the BMC has been released. A number of major projects including the Integrated Transportation Hub have been expedited. We have seen the grand opening of the Universal Beijing Resort and moved forward the coordinated development of the BMC and its three neighboring counties of Hebei Province.

Second, we have strengthened our efforts to build Beijing into an international center for innovation and steered the high-end, precision and sophisticated industries onto a fast development track.  

An action plan for the technological innovation strategy has been unveiled and a new round of major pilot reforms has been rolled out in Zhongguancun. The program to support high-caliber personnel has been fully implemented. We have inaugurated national labs in Zhongguancun, Huairou and Changping, succeeded in establishing a number of big-science facilities, and accomplished milestones in building the Comprehensive National Science Center. More innovative policies and institutions have helped translate technological prowess into growth drivers. We have made major headway in developing the "three science cities and one hi-tech area"[5]. The total revenues of companies above the designated size in the Zhongguancun National Demonstration Zone went up by over 20%, and the contractual value of technology transactions rose by 10% in the city. The innovation ecosystem has continued to improve with active innovators.

The new generation of information technology and the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry have increasingly played their role as the double engines for economic growth. High-end, precision and sophisticated industries have developed rapidly. We have intensified efforts to grow integrated circuit companies along the entire industrial chain, turning Beijing into the national center of semi-conductor industries and innovation. Through proactive and coordinated actions, Beijing was the first to gain approval for two locally-produced Covid-19 vaccines, and successfully developed China's first Covid-19 antibody drug. A total of five billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been manufactured, making a significant contribution to the global battle against the pandemic.

A systematic framework for building a smart city has been designed. We have increased data standardization and promoted data-sharing on the cloud and blockchains. The digital infrastructure underpinned by seven interconnected facilities and one platform[6] has taken shape. We have prioritized breakthroughs in underlying generic technologies and encouraged full-range incubators to play a leading role. A number of Data Beacon projects have been launched. Beijing International Big Data Exchange is up and running and the plan to turn Beijing into a global model city of digital economy has been steadily implemented. With the iterative development of the high-level autonomous driving demonstration zone, we have accelerated the development of physical and software systems that deeply integrate vehicles, roads, cloud, the Internet and maps. A program has been rolled out to build Beijing into a leading international center for consumption. The "first-store" economy has built sound momentum and online retail sales went up by over 20%. Thanks to the efforts made in ensuring that projects were inventoried and implemented, investment in manufacturing increased by more than 60% and non-government investments continued to thrive.

Third, through comprehensive reform and opening-up we have accelerated progress in building the "two zones"[7].

Beijing has implemented policies calibrated against international standards and best practices and was the first city to pioneer 34 specific policies. Over a hundred landmark projects have been launched, ten best practices from Beijing have been replicated nationwide, and key areas such as the financial sector have opened up at a notably faster pace. Beijing Capital International Airport launched a fifth-freedom[8] international air cargo route and Phase I of the Daxing International Airport comprehensive bonded zone entered service. The annual foreign investment disbursed exceeded 15 billion US dollars; the number of newly-registered foreign-funded companies grew by more than 50%; the volume of imports and exports of goods reached an all-time high. We successfully hosted the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), the Zhongguancun Forum, and the Financial Street Forum. The Beijing Stock Exchange was established and began trading.

Version 4.0 of the reform to improve the city’s business environment has been completed. We have applied the requirements notification and compliance commitment mechanism[9] for another 52 items for which government approval is mandatory. The pilot reform to separate permits from business licenses and grant one single license to each business has been deepened, and more government service items can be processed online and across provincial and district boundaries. Comprehensive and targeted regulation has been exercised in nine areas including catering and supermarkets (convenient stores). Government services for the general public and businesses have become more transparent, efficient and accessible. We have adopted measures to encourage the healthy and sustained growth of the platform economy, guided businesses in compliance and development, and supported them in transformation and upgrading. All municipal state-owned enterprises have basically adopted modern corporate governance practices and their business revenues and profits have reached a record high.

Fourth, we have made meticulous efforts to improve city governance, and delivered higher quality development in both urban and rural areas.  

City renewal has become an important means to promote people's well-being and the city's development. We have explored new approaches and introduced targeted policies in this regard. Thanks to these efforts, Beiyuan No.2 Compound and Wangjing Walk have become models of renewed communities and blocks. A total of 177 run-down communities have been renovated and 418 elevators have been installed in old residential buildings. We moved forward the application for UNESCO recognition of the Central Axis[10] as a world heritage site and have made progress in relocating residents of the Zhonggulou (Bell and Drum Towers) neighborhood.

We are pressing ahead with comprehensive traffic management. Special campaigns have been carried out to promote road civility and encourage motor vehicles to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. Disorderly driving and parking have been gradually rectified. The slow mobility system has been upgraded. We have redoubled efforts to create a barrier-free environment in the city. Bus service has been upgraded, as over 95% of the regular bus routes are under the smart dispatching system. A single administration has been created to oversee major railway stations previously administered separately and Beijing Chaoyang Railway Station is now open. With nine new urban rail transit lines, the total service mileage of rail transit (including suburban railways) has reached 1,148 kilometers. Beijing is now at the forefront of global subway service quality and efficiency.

We have made tenacious efforts to control pollution. Levels of all six pollutants[11] in the Air Quality Index (AQI) met standards for the first time. Soil pollution has been brought under full control. We have afforested another 160,000 mu (10,667 hectares) of land and opened two country parks, each covering an area of more than 10,000 mu (667 hectares). The volume of water in the Miyun Reservoir has reached an all-time high. The groundwater table in the plain areas has risen by 5.64 meters. No water bodies are of a quality below Class V. All five major rivers passing through Beijing flow all year round.

Steady progress has been made in rural revitalization. More policy support has been extended to agricultural inputs and protected agriculture. The Agricultural Innovation Demonstration Area of Pinggu District is making good progress and the production of grain, vegetables and hogs has increased for the past two years. We have implemented an initiative to assist villages with a weak collective economy. Annual average growth of rural residents' per capita disposable income has outpaced that of urban residents. The eco-compensation mechanism has been upgraded to improve the eco-environment and advance the green development of eco-conservation areas. The development of the new towns in the flatlands, the southern part of Beijing and the new Shougang area has been advanced steadily. Cooperation through paired assistance has expanded.

Public complaints must be responded swiftly. A mechanism for this purpose has been put in place, focusing on one topical issue every month, under which 27 frequently raised issues have been resolved, such as the difficulty in obtaining a property ownership certificate due to legacy issues. Thanks to the cooperation of our residents, 85% of the municipal solid waste was sorted and put into the right disposal bins. Special campaigns have been conducted on a regular basis to tackle outstanding problems in property management, and the coverage of property services has topped 95%. We have completed elections to residents' and villagers' committees. A new action plan for the Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan area has been implemented, and synergy has been built for primary-level governance via the "Count-Me-In" volunteer service initiative.

Fifth, we have supported people’s lives and improved their overall well-being.

Employment is pivotal to people’s well-being. We have established a working mechanism featuring "one system, three priorities and five measures"[12]. A total of 260,000 urban jobs were created in 2021. We have steadily raised the standards for social security benefits, and supported the launch of a supplementary health insurance scheme, which has been well received. We have maintained a healthy and stable real estate market by implementing strict regulatory measures, and delivered 61,000 units of government-subsidized housing of various types. We have improved home-based elderly care services in communities, focusing on quality catering services delivering hot meals to the elderly in their own communities.

As the "twin pressures" of homework and tutoring on children are steadily reduced, classroom teaching and after-class services have been comprehensively improved. The regulation of off-campus tutoring has produced remarkable results. Another 13,000 places in affordable preschool education and 28,000 places in primary and middle schools were added. More public cultural services were provided, including the release of high-quality literary and artistic works and hot-selling creative products. The public health emergency response system has been improved. Pre-hospital emergency medical service (EMS) resources are now completely integrated. All key public places, such as subway and railway stations and schools, have been equipped with Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs). Gaps have been filled to ensure that every village has a public clinic. We have held events like the seventh Beijing Winter Sports Festival to encourage public participation in ice and snow sports.

We have continued the special campaign to reinforce workplace safety. The supervision of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) safety has been strengthened and actions have been taken to ensure respect for the rules in riding and charging electric bikes. We have strengthened coordination of electricity, gas and heating supply to ensure that the city can continue to operate in a safe and orderly manner under extreme weather conditions. We have strengthened efforts to locate and defuse social tension and problems, prudently advanced financial risk prevention and mitigation, and dealt strictly with all types of crime, contributing to harmony and security in the city.

We support the reform and development of national defense and the armed forces. Initiatives to promote mutual support between the military and civil life have been extended. We safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of veterans and the military-civil bond has been strengthened. We completed the seventh national census. Steady progress has been made in protecting women, children and people with disabilities, and we have made further progress in the work concerning ethnic minorities, religions and overseas Chinese.

Sixth, we have advanced full and vigorous self-governance over the Party and strengthened capacity building of the government.

We have launched, to the highest standards, an educational program on the CPC's history and initiatives on delivering practical services to the people. We have upheld democratic centralism, and strictly implemented the rules of reporting to and requesting instructions from Party organizations on major issues. We have rectified problems reflected in the feedback from the Central Leading Group for Inspection Work during its sixth round of inspection and the Central Environmental Protection Inspection Team during its second round of inspection. We have also worked to rectify problems in the planning and natural resources sectors, concerning, inter alia, the adoption of green spaces and lease of service buildings in parks. We have put our work under the oversight of the Municipal People's Congress and People's Political Consultative Conference, and processed four motions and 838 suggestions raised by deputies to the Municipal People's Congress and 1,205 proposals made by Municipal CPPCC Committee members. A total of 12 local regulations were submitted to the Municipal People's Congress for deliberation. We have formulated, revised and abolished 22 regulations. Audit-based oversight has been strengthened, and a sound long-term mechanism for rectifying problems reflected in auditing has been developed. We have extended reform in the comprehensive law enforcement bodies, and set up or consolidated emergency management and comprehensive law enforcement teams at municipal and district levels. Inspections and evaluations have been strengthened. We have extended performance-based budgeting to all departments, cut general expenditure by 3.55 billion yuan, and reduced spending on official overseas visits, vehicles and hospitality by 3%. A performance-based management and evaluation mechanism has been established in public services that underpin city operation, to cut costs and improve economic performance. We have formulated rules on field visits and meetings to strengthen discipline, and established routine unannounced inspections. Official documents issued and meetings called in the name of the municipal government and departments have been further reduced, so that more time and energy can be spent on engaging and serving the general public.

Fellow deputies,

Against the backdrop of the unprecedented Covid-19 flareups and a complex and serious external environment, our achievements over the past year were especially hard-won and valuable. They are attributable to the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core and the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. They are also attributable to the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and all citizens of Beijing, who have worked in unity and with tenacity. Here, on behalf of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, I would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all the people of Beijing, to deputies of the Municipal People's Congress and members of the Municipal CPPCC Committee, to other political parties, people's organizations and individuals from all sectors of society, to all CPC central organs and central government departments, to other municipalities, provinces and autonomous regions, to officers and rank-and-file members of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the People's Armed Police Force based in Beijing, to our fellow countrymen and women in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and to overseas Chinese and international friends who have taken an active interest in and given support to the capital.

We have also clearly recognized that Beijing still faces many challenges and there is room for improvement in our work. Covid-19 remains the largest uncertainty and the recovery of domestic demand is sluggish. We also face great pressure of rising prices. Businesses, especially micro and small ones, are struggling with multiple difficulties. The tasks of relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital, and addressing issues associated with a megacity, remain formidable. Inadequate and uneven development in urban and rural areas and between various regions remains a salient issue. More efforts should be made to improve people's well-being and public security. The conduct and capacity of government departments and institutions should be further improved. We should face these problems squarely, make every effort to tackle them, and do all we can to live up to the public's expectations.

Report on the Work of the Government 2022 (Part II)

Report on the Work of the Government 2022 (Part III)

[1] The "five key projects" include building Beijing into an international center for innovation; making progress in building the "two zones"; developing the digital economy; stimulating and creating new demand through supply-side structural reform; and making greater headway with Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development through relocation of functions non-essential to the role of the capital.

[2] Chang'An Chain, is an open-source blockchain platform launched on January 27, 2021.

[3] The "core zone" is the central area of the city where most of its capital functions are located.

[4] The "four centers" refers to the capital's strategic position as the national political center, cultural center, center for international exchanges and center for national innovation.

[5] The "three science cities and one hi-tech area" are Zhongguancun Science City, Huairou Science City, Beijing Future Science Park and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area.

[6] The "seven interconnected facilities" are the city QR code, spatial layout, basic toolkit, computing power, sensing platforms, telecommunications, and government cloud, while the "one platform" refers to the big data platform.

[7] The "two zones" refers to the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone.

[8] The fifth freedom allows an airline the right to fly between two foreign countries on flight originating or terminating in its home country.

[9] Under this mechanism, the government notifies the applicant conditions to be met, and if the applicant assures that all conditions are met and is ready to take the responsibility for false representation, then government approval is given; no actual submission of proofs from the applicant is needed.

[10] The Central Axis of Beijing is 7.8 kilometers long, starting from the southern Yongding Gate, running through Zhengyang Gate, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Jingshan Hill, and ending at the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the north. Most of the essential buildings in the old city area of Beijing stand along this axis.

[11] The "six pollutants" are carbon monoxide, PM 10, PM 2.5, nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone and sulfur oxides.

[12] "One system" refers to the multi-tiered employment promotion system; "three priorities" refers to key groups, key enterprises and key areas; "five measures" refers to measures that make policies more systematic, services more accessible, training more effective, the market more robust, and the implementation of law more targeted.