Yongqing in Hebei may realise 'liveable suburb' dream thanks to greater Beijing integration
Integration push for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei should benefit places like Yongxing keen to lure businesses and homebuyers from the capital
"New" Yongqing, in Hebei province close to the boundary of Beijing municipality, finally looks like it might justify a property developer's tagline and become the "closest liveable suburb to Beijing" 60km away.
Yongqing had for years made fruitless attempts to attract some of the economic windfalls of a much-talked-about integration of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei (also known as Jing-Jin-Ji).
Now the integration is taking on new momentum after being declared a showcase project by President Xi Jinping and included in Premier Li Keqiang's work report this year.
Along with real-estate projects targeting Beijingers feeling the pinch of high property prices, Yongqing county wants to attract some of the capital's businesses. Plans are under way to build a garment manufacturing and wholesale hub.
Eight markets covering garments, fur, footwear and small commodities in Beijing's famous Dahongmen wholesale district have agreed to move to the planned Yongqing International Garment City. An agreement on the mega-market was signed in mid-May, but Han said there were as yet no details of the timetable for its construction or the size of the investment involved.