The executive meeting of the Beijing municipal government recently deliberated on a report to set work priorities for 2018.

The work report lists 198 key tasks divided into 10 categories. These categories include the main goal of Beijing's economic and social development; the full implementation of Beijing's master plan and optimizing and improving Beijing's functions as four national centers (the national political center, the cultural center, the international communication center, and the science and technology center); the firm and orderly phasing out of Beijing's non-capital functions to improve city quality and people's living environment; further advancement of the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province and further enhancement of the urban-rural integrated development in Beijing; all-out efforts to advance building Beijing into a national center for scientific discovery and technology innovation and accelerating creation of an economic structure based on high-end, precision and sophisticated technologies; strengthening the city's micro management and making effort to address its "big city syndromes;" further consolidating the confidence in the Chinese culture and building and developing Beijing as the national cultural center; continuously protecting and improving people's well-being, and enlarging people's sense of gaining, sense of happiness and sense of safety; devoting major efforts to deepening reform and opening-up and fostering new advantages in institutional innovations; and strengthening self-improvement of the government in all respects.  

Among the 10 categories, fully implementing Beijing's master plan and devoting major efforts to deepening reform and opening-up are added to the list of prior work division this year. The category of fully implementing Beijing's master plan involves eight tasks, including decreasing land for urban and rural construction by 30 square kilometers or more annually and moderately increasing the proportion of residential land and supporting land. 

At least one municipal government official is assigned to oversee each task; some of the tasks are jointly undertaken by several officials. For instance, Zhang Gong, Yin Hejun, Wang Ning and Yin Yong are in charge of implementing the guidance on development of 10 high-grade, precision and advanced industries such as the new generation of information technology, and improving development quality and level of modern service industries such as finance, cultural creativity and commerce. 

Zhang Gong, Sui Zhenjiang and Wang Ning are responsible for stepping up the construction of major projects such as the Tongzhou branch campus of the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China, the Beijing Anzhen Hospital's Tongzhou subsidiary, and theaters, libraries and museums, and further studying and formulating a scheme for high-standard allocation of quality public service resources. Eight municipal governmental departments, including the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, will lead the implementation of this task.

Regarding the firm and orderly phasing out of Beijing's non-capital functions, this year the government will start the planning and site selection of a new location for Beijing Union University, and steadily advance relocation of Beijing Stomatological Hospital.

A Beijing government official said the division of the work installs accountability and helps to ensure performance on the tasks. The municipal government will improve the relevant mechanism, comprehensively strengthen performance management and strictly supervise, inspect and evaluate the fulfillment of the tasks. Any dereliction of duty will be addressed and held accountable.   

Highlights of tasks mentioned in the work report

Building a national center of scientific discovery and technological innovation

Tasks concerning building a national center of scientific discovery and technological innovation totals 24 in this year’s work report, increasing from 17 in 2017. The report says the government will "make all-out efforts" concerning the building of the center, escalating from "step up efforts" from last year. 

Concerning building the "Three Science Parks and One Development Zone," this year's report elaborated on last year's plans for building the infrastructure and improving supporting public services. Regarding the implementation of major projects, the report gives specific names to many projects, such as the Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences and the Brain Science and Brain-Like Research Center.

Regulating the real estate market

At least six tasks mentioned in the work report focus on housing, and description of each task is more detailed and practical than that of previous years. They include strictly implementing the real estate market regulation policy measures in all aspects, strengthening market monitoring and policy reserve, supplying 1,200 hectares of land for residential purpose, developing a long-term rental market, encouraging industrial parks to build collective dormitories for workers, and advancing construction of 2.9 million square meters of housing units with joint property rights and 6 million square meters of commercial housing units to supply the market.

Developing a long-term rental market and encouraging industrial parks to build collective dormitories for workers are new additions to the report. Meanwhile, the city plans to construct and pool resources for 50,000 government-subsidized homes, and complete renovation projects for 23,600 households in run-down areas.

Devoting major efforts to deepening reform and opening-up

The report assigns 29 tasks to devoting major efforts to deepening reform and opening-up and developing new advantages in institutional innovations. Issues mentioned include continuing to eliminate the requirement of redundant documents during administrative processes, providing solution to the "last mile" obstacles for new businesses, streamlining the approval process over the internet, and improving the access to government services so that it becomes as convenient as shopping online. 

Other tasks include strengthening principal status of enterprise investment, delegating administrative approval power of over 90 percent of enterprise investment projects and all registered investment projects to district governments, and eliminating all preconditions for registered investment projects. Meanwhile, the city plans to accelerate adjustments in the distribution of state-owned economy and strategic reorganization, make great efforts to activate private investment, and direct private capital to medical treatment, education, elderly care, sports and other fields.  

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