The regional plan for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan area has been submitted to the State Council for approval, and is expected to come out before the end of this year, according to insiders.

The plan to be released will give a clear position for the future development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

Beijing will be positioned as the capital city, and will give priority to the development of tertiary industry. Tianjin will be cast as an international port city and economic center in North China. Hebei province will focus on raw materials and heavy chemicals, modern agriculture, resorts and manufacturing.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan areae covers the two municipal cities of Beijing and Tianjin, and eight cities in Hebei province: Shijiazhuang, Qinhuangdao, Tangshan, Langfang, Baoding, Cangzhou, Zhangjiakou, and Chengde.

In 2009, Beijing's GDP exceeded one trillion yuan, while Tianjin's GDP reached 750 billion yuan. The GDP of the above mentioned cities in Hebei was relatively low, with the GDP of Shijiazhuang and Tangshan topping 300 billion yuan.

Experts hold it will take a pretty long time for Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province to achieve complete integration.

Editor: Li Jing

Source: The Great Wall Net