Recently, numerous foreign dignitaries attending the China International Friendship Conference and Events Marking the 70th Anniversary of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) visited Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC), where they embarked on an exploration tour of a "Millennium City".

Guests learning about the planning and construction of BMC

[Photo via Beijing Daily]

Their first impression of BMC was decidedly green. With more than 400 kilometers of greenway running from north to south, and eight forest parks of roughly 6.67 square kilometers each connecting the east and west, a spatial design featuring "two belts, one ring, and one center" had basically taken shape. According to McGarry Miguel, Acting President of the Micronesia-China Friendship Association and Vice Speaker of the Pohnpei State Legislature, "Beijing is an amazing city that continues to flourish every year, and a model for the international community in terms of sci-tech innovation and development experiences."

Boat tour

[Photo via Beijing Daily]

The foreign guests were treated to a boat tour along the North Grand Canal, where they had a clear view of the Canal Business District, Beijing Municipal Administrative Center Station Hub and several other buildings. At Beijing "Two Zones" Reception on the canal's bank, they learned more about BMC's progress in planning and construction focusing on the development of the digital economy, modern finance, and advanced manufacturing industry clusters, oriented by new quality productive forces. Korn Dabbaransi, a former Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand and President of the Thai-Chinese Friendship Association, felt that BMC serves as a prime example for studying Beijing's development path. "Here, you can see exactly how the government seeks to build the city orderly and scientifically through forward-looking planning and effective management while also raising the quality of life."

Foreign guests at Beijing Library

[Photo via Beijing Daily]

The Grand Canal received UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2014, and over the past decade, Beijing has vigorously promoted the construction of the Grand Canal Cultural Belt. Three major cultural facilities inspired by the Grand Canal, namely Beijing Performing Arts Centre, Beijing Library, and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing, were unveiled in 2023, immediately becoming new cultural landmarks of BMC. The foreign guests visited these venues to learn more about the development of cultural undertakings in BMC.

The foreign guests all commented that the planning and construction of BMC impressed them a lot and vividly demonstrated the vitality of the Chinese path to modernization.

(Source: CRI Online)