The State Council has approved a national territorial spatial plan for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, for the 2021-2035 period, according to an official reply released on Jan 27.

As per the reply, to strengthen the spatial foundation for safe development, by 2035, the total area of cultivated land in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region should be no less than 94.3399 million mu, of which the protection area for permanent basic farmland should be at least 82.2444 million mu, and the red line area for ecological protection should be no less than 42,300 square kilometers.

To build a territorial spatial system that supports the new development paradigm, the reply asked Beijing to construct a spatial layout for reliving its non-capital functions in an orderly way. Efforts are needed to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, deeply integrate into the joint construction of the Belt and Road, and enhance synergy between the region and the Yellow River Basin, Yangtze River Economic Belt, Greater Bay Area, and the Yangtze River Delta.

The development and protection of territorial space will be systematically optimized, the reply added.

To that end, efforts will be made to prioritize the layout of Beijing's functional areas and increase the service guarantee strength of the city's sub-center, Tongzhou district. Meanwhile, Tianjin should increase synergy between its Binhai New Area, Beijing's sub-city center and the Xiong'an New Area of Hebei province.

The Xiong'an New area should focus on strengthening its undertaking capability to receive Beijing's non-capital functions. Hebei province should also strengthen its function to support construction of the region's industrial and innovation chains, guarantee agricultural product supplies, ensure energy supplies, improve the ecological environment, as well as provide cultural, tourism and healthcare services.

Moreover, the region is asked to construct a solid ecological barrier for North China, enhance the support and guarantee of modern infrastructure for the high-quality development of the region, and build a world-class airport cluster and a port cluster. The region should also boost its resilience to climate change and comprehensively protect cultural and natural heritages, the reply said.