Beijing's new sub-center must be people-oriented: Xi

BEIJING, May 27 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for people-oriented approach in planning and building a new sub-center for the nation's capital city Beijing.

"Globally advanced energy-saving and environment protection technologies, standards, materials and craftsmanship must be extensively used to build a green city, a forest city, a spongy city and a smart city,", Xi said Friday at a conference of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The planning, design and construction of the sub-center must have global outlook and Chinese characters, use high standards, and stick to the concept of innovative, coordinated, green and inclusive development, said a statement issued after the meeting.

"Planning must come before construction, the use of every inch of land must be considered carefully before construction begins, " Xi said. He urged city planners and builders to bear in mind that they are creating history and making an art piece.

The mater plan must take into consideration people's needs to work, live and entertain. Transport, education and health service must be convenient. The sub-center must have Chinese elements and borrow from other cultures, Xi said.

The sub-center could help adjust the space layout of Beijing, rid it of mega city problems and promote the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Xi said.

The meeting discussed progress made in implementing the plan in promoting coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, hailing headway made in transport, biological environment and industry.

"Benign interactions among Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei have made tangible results. Coordinated development has seen a good beginning," Xi said.