China has hailed progress in its flagship Xiong’an ‘city of the future’ smart city development. Located in China’s Hebei Province, Xiong’an is intended to act as a non-administrative mirror to Beijing in the country’s National Capital Region. The city is a personal project of the country’s president, Xi Jinping, who visited Xiong’an in May, announcing progress in the last six years has been “miraculous”.

In April 2017, China announced plans to set up the Xiong’an New Area, which would be on par with the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and the Shanghai Pudong New Area. The development of Xiong’an incorporates many of the country’s long-term development goals, including innovation and green-driven development.

By the end of 2022, Xiong’an had seen an inflow of more than 510 billion yuan (US$71 billion) in investment earmarked for 240 major projects. Another 270 key projects are expected to be launched in 2023, with a total investment of 664 billion yuan (US$93 billion, PPP US$363 billion). State-owned enterprises have set up more than 140 institutions in the city. Thousands of companies, most specialising in science and technology, have been registered in Xiong’an.

One major project that has been completed and put into use is the Xiong’an Railway Station, which connects to Beijing via the high-speed railway. On May 10, Xi took a high-speed train and arrived at the station.

As the first major infrastructure project started being constructed in the Xiong’an New Area, it is currently the largest railway station in Asia, with an area six times the size of the Beijing Railway Station. It combines high-speed and intercity rails, and subways. It is seen as key to bringing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster together.

Currently, there are 17 pairs of high-speed trains shuttling between Beijing and Xiong’an daily. On May 14, it marked 869 days of safe operation having completed 1.44 million passenger trips. It takes 19 minutes to complete a commute from Xiong’an Railway Station to Beijing Daxing International Airport, and less than one hour to the Beijing West Railway Station.

The city features a blockchain lab, established in 2020 with the goal of conducting research on and applying blockchain technologies and concepts to the construction of a new smart city.

A points-based system was introduced on January 1, 2021 to attract more people to settle in the region. In 2022, 324 people had qualified for settlement through the points-based mechanism, marking the first batch of eligible people under the system. Local officials noted that the new points-based system aims to open the doors to as many talented people as possible, laying a foundation for the area’s future development.