II. Major Tasks in 2017

The year 2017 is crucial for Beijing to implement the 13th Five-Year Plan, to lead the country in achieving a moderately prosperous society in all respects, to build itself into a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable, as well as to execute the Framework Plan for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development. We have been offered rare opportunities to develop but are also faced with multiple challenges. Plans for our work this year have been made at the 12th Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Beijing Municipal Committee. The most important is to study and implement the guiding principles from major policy addresses made by General-Secretary Xi Jinping and his new philosophy, new ideas and new strategies concerning the country’s governance and follow guidance provided by the General-Secretary in his talks during inspection tour to Beijing, as this is fundamental for success in all aspects of our work. We must not deviate from the capital’s strategic positioning as “four centers”, and fulfill our duties in delivering “four services” (namely, services for the central authorities, for international exchanges, for science, technology and education, and for the betterment of life). “Be the best” is our constant pursuit and we must persist and do even better in all aspects of our work. At present and going forward, we must focus our efforts on the strategy of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development, which prioritizes relocation of institutions non-essential to the capital. The relocation in essence is about supply-side structural reforms, restructuring and transformation of growth mode, industrial upgrading, improving development quality and living conditions, easing the tension between population and environment and resources, and better performing the duties of the capital. We must prioritize the relocation, and work towards the goals of improving functions essential to the capital and building a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable. We must combine the relocation with upgrading, and develop through relocation. We are convinced that, with devoted attention from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, strong leadership of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, and concerted efforts of all the people in the city, we can build on past achievements, overcome difficulties, seize the opportunity, and live up to expectations.

The general requirements for the work of the government this year are as follows: fully implement guidelines set forth by the 18th CPC National Congress, and by the 18th CPC Central Committee at its 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Plenary Sessions, and by the Central Economic Work Conference; implement the Five-Pronged Strategy for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, that is, to coordinate progress in economic, political, cultural, social and ecological areas; implement the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy (to achieve the goals of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, deepening reform, governing the country based on the rule of law, and enforcing strict Party discipline); follow guidance given by the General-Secretary in his remarks during inspection tour to Beijing; seek steady progress while maintaining stability; bear in mind and put into practice the new vision of development; adapt to, understand and shape the economic “new normal”; stay focused on improving development quality and efficiency, and on the supply-side structural reforms; quicken our steps in relocation, transforming growth mode, improving the environment, shoring up weak links, and facilitating coordinated development; put in solid work on maintaining steady growth, promoting reforms, restructuring the economy, improving people’s life and preventing risks; facilitate steady and healthy growth and ensure stability and social harmony; and welcome the 19th CPC National Congress with our good performance.

We have set the following main targets for the city’s economic and social development: achieve GRP growth of about 6.5%; increase general public budget revenue by 6.5%; keep the rise in CPI around 3.5%; keep urban registered unemployment rate below 3%; keep disposable income of urban and rural residents in step with the economy; cut water consumption, energy consumption and CO2 emissions per 10,000 yuan of GRP by around 3%, 3.5%, and 4% respectively; work hard to keep the annual average level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration at around 60 μg/m3.

1. To fulfill the capital’s strategic positioning and build a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable, we must be firm in the orderly relocation of institutions non-essential to the capital and spare no effort in promoting Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development.

We will relocate existing institutions while restricting establishment of new ones. We will implement the new master plan for the city, and strictly observe the “red line” for ecological conservation and the city’s boundary of development. We will revise and enforce the Catalogue of Polluting Industries to Be Phased Out, and shut down more than 500 enterprises in general manufacturing or causing pollution. We will fully rectify or close down messy labor-intensive small business clusters in townships or villages. We will devote more efforts to relocating wholesale markets of small commodities; complete the demolition, consolidation, upgrading and relocation of wholesale markets in Beijing Zoo area and Dahongmen area, and Tianyi, Yongwaicheng wholesale markets; and by and large complete the relocating and upgrading of Guanyuan, Wantong, and Yabaolu markets. We will accelerate relocation of some municipal universities and hospitals; and fully implement confirmed projects. We will ensure construction of new campuses for Renmin University of China, Beijing Film Academy, and other institutions of higher learning; accelerate construction of Beijing Friendship Hospital Shunyi District Branch; and put into trial operation the new Beijing Tiantan Hospital. We will strictly enforce the Catalogue of Prohibited and Restricted New Additional Industries, and control population size and development intensity in the six urban districts. We will implement measures for managing and using spaces reclaimed through relocation, and keep the increase in land supply for construction use in proportion with reclaimed land.

We will promote breakthroughs first in the three priority areas. We will press ahead with the planning and construction of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei inter-city railway network and the Capital Region Ring Expressway, wrap up construction of the Beijing-Qinhuangdao Expressway, and ensure smooth progress in the construction of Rail Transit Line Pinggu, in order to facilitate Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei transport interconnectivity. We will strengthen regional ecological conservation, continue the Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Project, add another 100,000 mu (6,667 hectares) to the Beijing-Hebei watershed protection forest, and complete afforestation of 40,000 mu (2667 hectares) as part of the Beijing-Tianjin-Baoding greening project. We will strengthen regional cooperation on water pollution prevention and control, and improve ecological remediation and environment rehabilitation of cross-regional waters, such as the Yongding River, Chaobai River and the northern section of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. We will coordinate the relocation of industries, and guide the relocation of industrial projects to areas like the Caofeidian Demonstration Area, continue to build the Tianjin Binhai-Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park into a unique platform for innovation services, and support the development of green industries in the Zhangjiakou-Chengde Ecological Function Zone. We will forge ahead with municipal transport projects on the periphery of the new airport, and start to implement the plan for the airport economic zone.

We will build the new administrative center of Beijing municipality with high standards. In strict accordance with the administrative center’s defined functions, we will formulate plans and designs with new visions and make sure they are implemented without compromise. We will move faster in building the administrative office area and supporting facilities, and the four major municipal administrative organs and related administrative departments will be the first to begin the relocation by the end of the year. We will improve the administrative center’s internal road network, build Guangqu Road eastward extension, and improve the environment along the road. We will ensure implementation of a number of premium educational and medical projects. We will build the Universal Studios Beijing. We will rehabilitate by and large all black, stinky water bodies in Tongzhou District, and ensure the total collection and recycling of all sewage discharged in the built-up areas of the new administrative center. We will implement the Sponge City pilot project, and boost development of wetland forests and green spaces in parks. We will tap the city’s historic and cultural resources, especially the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, to create distinctive urban features. We will attach equal importance to construction and administration, and strive to improve management of the new administrative center.

We will advance preparations for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and Beijing International Horticultural Expo in 2019. We will complete the Games’ basic planning and delivery plans, and establish work mechanisms such as sustainable management and barrier-free services. We will begin construction of new venues and infrastructure for the Games and promote renovation of existing venues. We will launch marketing effort and unveil emblems for the Beijing 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We will enhance personnel training for the organization and management of the Games, implement the action plan for delivering a technological Winter Olympic Games, and promote winter sports in schools and communities, and popularize knowledge on winter sports and the Winter Olympics. We will start full-fledged construction of the Horticultural Expo Parks and infrastructure in the Expo Village, by and large complete the construction of public landscape, start construction of some expo gardens, and further invite participation from both home and abroad. We will start preparing for the 2020 World Leisure Congress.

We will devote efforts to one-on-one assistance and regional collaboration. Focusing on targeted poverty alleviation and elimination, and key areas such as improving people’s life and developing featured industries, we will provide one-on-one assistance to 16 districts and counties in Hebei Province, take steps in helping Xinjiang, Tibet and Qinghai, and accomplish this year’s tasks of one-on-one assistance to Inner Mongolia, one-on-one collaboration with Shenyang and with water catchment areas along the South-North Water Diversion routes.

2. To fulfill the capital’s strategic positioning and build a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable, we must carry through the supply-side structural reforms and improve the quality and efficiency of Beijing’s economy.

We will further adjust the supply structure. We will endeavor to de-leverage, reduce overcapacity and excess inventory, lower costs, and shore up weak links; and accomplish the yearly tasks assigned to us by the state. We will eliminate the low-end, ineffective supplies, and support Shougang Group in cutting its production capacity outside Beijing and eliminate all cement production capacity except for co-processing of hazardous wastes. We will launch special plans to fix loss-making companies, and support differentiated disposal of over 50 “zombie companies”. We will formulate policies to encourage consumption, implement plans to raise the standards for and quality of consumer goods, and vigorously promote consumption in new areas such as health and elderly care, culture and sports, leisure and tourism. We will further increase the share of consumption generated by the service sector. We will build a series of featured tourist villages, tourist resorts and vacation destinations; and establish district-wide tourism demonstration zones in Changping, Yanqing, Pinggu, Huairou and Mentougou. We will focus on promoting investment in key areas, and implement 230 key projects in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, high-end, precision and sophisticated industries, eco-environment, infrastructure and betterment of people’s well-being. We will implement 27 specific measures to promote private investment and facilitate actualization of key projects.

We will quicken our steps in crucial reforms. We will further streamline administration, delegate powers, balance decentralization with proper management and improve service. We will continue to eliminate and delegate to lower levels administrative approval procedures, review approvals via intermediary and items subject to community-level administrative certification. We will continue the pilot scheme to reform approval procedures for construction of public service projects. There will be one-stop approval for all investment projects. We will apply e-service to the entire process of business registration and carry out pilot projects enabling market entities to cancel registration with simplified procedures. We will strengthen credit management and the building of a creditability system. We will establish a cross-department and cross-field regulatory system featuring random selection of inspectors and inspection targets, and full disclosure of inspection results. We will strongly promote public-private partnership and work hard on the 11 national-level demonstration projects. We will actively prevent and defuse financial risks. We will also deepen reforms in SOEs and state-owned assets, and pilot the reform of professional managers and employee stock ownership. We will make breakthroughs in reforming the mixed-ownership economy, and enhance restructuring of enterprises on that basis. We will relax control over market access and promote development of the private economy.

We will develop industries towards higher end. We will implement measures for speeding up the development of producer services; and improve competitive industries such as finance, science and technology, information and business service. We will vigorously develop emerging industries such as energy conservation and environmental protection services, measurement standards, verification, testing and certification, and human resources; and accelerate construction of the Olympics Culture & Business Park and the New Shougang High-end Industry Service Zone. We will support improvement of traditional competitive enterprises through adoption of green and smart manufacturing technologies, accelerate construction of the Robotic Innovation Industry Base, the Integrated Circuit Industrial Park and the New-Energy Smart Vehicle Industrial Park, and establish the demonstration zone of “Made in China 2025”. We will better the development of headquarters economy through improvement of relevant policies and measures.

We will continue to deepen rural reforms. We will carry out citywide pilot projects on coordinated use of collectively-held rural land for commercial construction; by and large complete determination and certification of contracted operational rights in land, and promote reforms in land expropriation. We will deepen reforms in state-owned forest farms and basically complete the building of a national demonstration zone for the comprehensive experiment and reform in collective-owned forests. We will implement the national pilot project of new-type urbanization and develop small functional towns with characteristics. We will ensure success of the Third National Census on Agriculture. We will promote agricultural supply-side structural reform, continue to cut and phase out water-intensive farming, focus on developing urban modern agriculture such as the modern seed industry, recreational agriculture and rural tourism, and increase the supply of green and quality agricultural products and ecological products. We will pay attention to the main structure construction of the Beijing Fresh Agricultural Products Distribution Center. We will build 300 “beautiful villages”, reinforce 60,000 rural houses for earthquake resistance and energy saving, and fully complete the third round of hilly area relocation projects. We will increase income for low-income rural households, push forward targeted assistance in six categories, i.e. assistance in production and employment, assistance through relocation and resettlement, subsistence allowances, medical assistance, post-disaster reconstruction, and education aid; and strive to improve the living standards of low-income people.

We will improve development of an open economy. We will carry out the comprehensive pilot project of further opening up the service sector, fulfill relevant tasks already approved by the state, make plans for deepening the pilot project and adopt measures for a new round of opening-up, and promote transformation and upgrading of the service industry as well as trade in services. We will make our investment environment more internationally competitive, and make steady progress in promoting foreign investment and trade. We will thoroughly implement the plan of Beijing Municipality to participate in the national Belt and Road Initiative, and guide enterprises to go global in an orderly manner. We will deepen cooperation with key cities along the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and develop a batch of overseas capacity cooperation projects. We will deepen mutually-beneficial cooperation with Hong Kong and Macau, and handle properly Taiwan affairs and overseas Chinese affairs.

3. To fulfill the capital’s strategic positioning and build a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and livable, we must endeavor to address “big city syndromes” and promote sustainable development.

We will adopt comprehensive measures to strengthen population control. We will implement special programs on relocating non-essential institutions, rectifying urban problems, and improving city development. We will link population control with the relocation of non-essential institutions and the Special Campaign on Comprehensive Municipal Management so that they can reinforce each other for better progress. We will firmly curb illegal constructions and demolish over 40 million square meters of such constructions. We will rectify illegal renting and lending of public housing directly managed by the government, illegal use of commercial property as residence, illegal renting of partitioned rooms and illegal renting of compounds, and complete the three-year campaign of rectifying underground living spaces. We will crack down on illegal activities such as cutting an opening in the wall to do business, vending on streets and sidewalks, and unlicensed business operations. We will promote comprehensive rectification of peri-urban areas, and fulfill the task of rectifying 100 places that are on the city-level “blacklist”. We will fully launch urbanization in the “First Greenbelt” area and advance urban-rural integrated development in the “Second Greenbelt” area. We will put into practice measures to reform household registration, improve standards and policies for the score-based registration system, and provide better population service and management.

We will enhance air pollution control. We will study and understand the causes of air pollution and how to prevent and control it, and improve the effectiveness of air pollution control. We will fully implement the environmental protection inspection system, and make sure responsibilities are fulfilled at every level and tasks listed in the Clean Air Plan are fully accomplished. We will continue to cut off the use of coals and replace coal with clean energy for heating facilities in 700 villages to basically eliminate coal use in the six urban districts and southern plain rural areas; we will upgrade coal-burning boilers into ones that use clean energy with a total capacity of 4,000 tons of steam per hour, shut down all coal-fired facilities in industrial enterprises, retire boilers with a capacity below 10 tons of steam per hour, and shut down, after the heating season, all coal-fired units of Beijing Huaneng Thermal Power Station and keep them only as backups; and we will reduce coal use by 30% to less than 7 million tons for the year. For heavy-duty diesel vehicles, we will strengthen their management and control, carry out traffic control measures on the 6th Ring Road and equip new buses and sanitation vehicles with diesel particulate filters. We will designate certain areas in the six urban districts, Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area and Tongzhou District as low-emission zones where stringent control measures will be implemented, and forbid the use of non-road mobile machinery that are not up to the “National III” standards. We will start the supply of gasoline and diesel by the “Beijing VI” fuel quality standards, eliminate 300,000 obsolete or worn-out automobiles, and replace with three-way catalytic converters in taxis that have been in operation for more than two years. We will further promote new-energy vehicles, and build 3,000 public charging piles. We will enhance our efforts in industrial pollution control and emission reduction, modify gas-fired boilers with a total capacity of 10,000 tons of steam per hour for lower emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx), and accelerate the implementation of rectifying projects, such as the NOx reduction project of Sinopec Beijing Yanshan Company, and the leakage detection and fixation project for volatile organic compounds. We will clean up 2,570 “scattered, disorderly and polluting” enterprises. We will strictly control dust pollution, ensure constructors see to their responsibilities, and organize special rectification campaigns for dump trucks. We will strictly enforce pollutant emission standards, increase the staffing of environmental law enforcement authority, form an environmental police team, tighten monitoring and law enforcement, and punish any excessive emission or emission without a permit. We will fully implement the newly-revised contingency plans for heavy air pollution, enhance regional prevention and control for air pollution through joint efforts, and improve the consultation mechanism for early warning and the emergency coordination mechanism; we will release information promptly, respond proactively to public concerns, encourage public participation, and properly respond to heavy air pollution.

We will implement a new round of action plans to relieve traffic congestion. We will continue to prioritize public transport, raise the service level, build or optimize 40 bus lines, renovate cycle paths and sidewalks with a total length of 600 kilometers, and raise the ratio of green commuting to 72% in the downtown area. In our intensified efforts to construct transportation infrastructure, we will start building two new rail transit lines, and increase the mileage in operation by 30 kilometers within the year. We will advance the construction of Xingyan Expressway and Yanchong Expressway, among others; speed up construction of the west extension of Xiwai Street, and urban expressways like Yaojiayuan Road and Lize Road. We will launch 100 traffic congestion relief projects, push forward collector road construction in the six urban districts to improve the performance of microcirculation, and begin constructing the Beiyuanbei and Pingguoyuan Transportation Hub. We will promote smart transportation, and strictly enforce traffic rules and curb congestions caused by traffic violations. We will add more parking facilities in residential areas, tighten management of roadside parking, and build 12 parking management model areas in the six urban districts. We will deepen reforms in taxi operations, and integrate taxi and online ride-hailing services.

We will improve the eco-environment. We will establish a monitoring and evaluation system for pursuing ecological progress, carry out a new round of three-year action plan for constructing sewage treatment facilities, focus on the installation of sewage pipe lines and decentralized wastewater treatment facilities in rural areas, and basically complete the laying of drainage pipes in the six urban districts. We will strictly follow the “River Chief” system, adopt a cross-region compensation mechanism on water environment, and improve water quality of river sections monitored at the national and city levels. We will build 29 small watersheds featuring sound ecology, rehabilitate 57 black, stinky water bodies and clean up such water bodies in the built-up areas. We will complete the building of six waste treatment facilities, reduce the sources of household waste and promote its classification and recycling, and achieve 57% of recycling rate for household wastes, tackle non-point agricultural pollution, forbid any burning of crop residue, and complete pollution control in 100 large-scale animal farms. We will implement soil pollution prevention and remediation projects, clean up soil pollution in former factory sites, and restore the ecology of abandoned mines. We will advance the building of eco-conservation demonstration zones in Yanqing, Miyun, Huairou and Pinggu districts, advance eco-development in Mentougou, add another 160,000 mu (10,667 hectares) of afforested areas, 600 hectares of urban green areas, build 14 city and suburban parks, and add and restore 2,200 hectares of wetlands.

We will continue to refine city management. We will strengthen municipal-level coordination, establish comprehensive management departments at the district level, deepen the reform of urban management (chengguan) authority’s law enforcement mechanism, and better the mechanism for joint law enforcement, and delegate more law enforcement duties to lower levels. We will integrate the city management, public service, public security, and chengguan law enforcement networks. We will promote the use of “Beijing Card” for public services, launch smart projects for the benefit of the people and build Beijing into a smart city. We will adopt comprehensive measures to improve the environment, and the city appearance in Dongcheng and Xicheng districts, underground overhead cables in the downtown area, and push forward the construction of underground tunnels. We will comprehensively advance the building of a water-saving society, introduce measures for promoting the development of a “Sponge City”, replace self-supply wells with municipal water supply in the six urban districts, and complete reparation of damages caused by flood. We will enhance the capacity for disaster prevention and mitigation, and for securing resources and energy. We will continue to oversee the operation of the South-North Water Diversion Project, complete supporting water works such as the Daxing Branch, and draft and implement follow-up plans. We will expedite construction of gas projects like the Shaanxi-Beijing Gas Pipeline IV, and put in place a mechanism regularly coordinating heat, electricity and gas supplies, so as to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of the city.