BEIJING — Vice-Premier Han Zheng has called on the northern port city of Tianjin to make greater contributions to the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Han, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection tour of Tianjin on June 19.

Han said the city should make good use of its comparative advantages and position, and play a bigger role in leading the region’s development.

“The city’s Binhai New Area should support the development of competitive industries transferred from Beijing, and serve as a national research and development base for advanced manufacturing as well as an industry cluster of services for producers,” Han said.

Authorities should make Tianjin Port internationally competitive, reducing fees and costs while increasing efficiency, he said.

The vice-premier also encouraged the city’s free trade zone to make bold experiments to gain more experience that can be shared with other places.

He urged the city to strive for high-quality, innovation-driven and green development, create a better business environment, and integrate urban and rural development.