BEIJING, March 24 - Chinese President Xi Jinping made a rare visit to the ambitious Xiongan project still under construction near Beijing, calling on officials to "throw themselves" into completing a task on which he has staked his name and legacy.
Located about 100 km (60 miles) southwest of the capital in the province of Hebei, the Xiongan New Area ranks among three special zones "of national significance", along with the tech and financial hubs of coastal Shenzhen and Shanghai Pudong.
"The Xiongan New Area should take reform and innovation as the driving force to promote the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation," Xi said during Monday's visit, according to official news agency Xinhua.
Xi is looking to relocate state-owned enterprises, universities, sci-tech firms and financial institutions to Xiongan, roughly comparable in size to Greater London, to alleviate overcrowding and congestion in Beijing.
Sinochem and China Satellite Network Group are among at least eight state-owned enterprises moving their headquarters to Xiongan, state media said, with some up and running, but others still being built.
Nearly a decade since ground was broken in 2017, central Xiongan remains sparsely populated, though the city is targeted for basic completion in 2035.
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Officials should "be bold in taking responsibility, throw themselves into the work of implementation, and strive to deliver satisfactory results to the Party and the people," Xi urged during his inspection tour, Xinhua said.
China's top leadership tends to keep a distance from specific projects, but Xi has tied his own name to Xiongan as he cemented his position as paramount leader of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and the People's Republic.
Official documents and state media hail the decision to build the city as one of lasting importance for the coming millennium, emphasising Xi's personal role in planning, making decisions and driving forward the project.
Xi first visited the site in 2017, the year he got a second term as general secretary of the Communist Party, followed by a 2019 visit after a historic constitutional amendment the previous year paved the way for a third leadership term.
Monday's tour of the newly built headquarters of state-owned power generator China Huaneng Group and a high school was Xi's fourth since an inspection in May 2023.
Officials should "promote the early implementation of innovative policies in fields including sci-tech and finance" in Xiongan, Xi said, as China pursues breakthroughs in key technologies.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Xiuhao Chen; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)