Business areas in capital report robust growth

The capital city's efforts to enhance its role as an influential and competitive global consumption center have borne fruit, as the 52 major business areas in Beijing reported an overall revenue of 228 billion yuan ($35.8 billion) in retailing sector in the first 10 months, soaring 37 percent year-on-year, an official from the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau said.

"The development of the business areas is key for Beijing as a global consumption center," said Yan Ligang, head of the bureau. "Since the launch in 2019 of a project to upgrade the 22 traditional business areas, including Wangfujing and Qianmen in downtown areas, the city has witnessed many successes, and brought about many changes welcomed by its citizens."

Yan said 18 out of the 22 have completed the upgrading and the rest will be finished by the end of this year.

Targeted measures are taken to upgrade the areas. For Wangfujing business area, the street layout and environment are improved, with more newly-added cultural elements commonly seen in the area. The regulation and administration systems of the area are further upgraded as well, he said.

For Beijing's central business district, where most foreign enterprises are located, the municipal government had more public facilities, such as convenience stores, cafes and bookstores, settled to better shore up the function of the area.

In Huilongguan business area, which is a bit far from the downtown area, efforts were made to add more parking lots, public restrooms and improve power distribution.

Wang Xixi, 36, a Beijinger, said she found Wangfujing area more fashionable than before.

"My knowledge about Wangfujing is that the area was a place merely for sight-seeing tourists. I seldom went there," Wang said. "But this year, I go there a lot to dine with my friends, as so many new-and-good modern shopping malls and restaurants are located there."

"The 'old' Wangfujing has gained a 'new' core, attracting the young continuously," she said.

With the increase of residents' disposable income, the capital city has been making efforts to boost consumption.

In recent years, some 30 new modern business districts have shown their charm and attracted more consumers.

E-commerce is also becoming a fast growing point in Beijing's retail sector, which helps the city on its way to be a global consumption center.

For the first 10 months, the total online retail revenue reached 412.8 billion yuan, a 22.8 percent increase year-on-year, the bureau said.

As a broader push in opening-up of the nation, Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, and Guangzhou, Guangdong province, have been approved to pioneer in developing international consumption center cities, the Ministry of Commerce said in July.

Efforts will be made to pool quality international market entities, goods and services as well as accelerate the cultivation of local brands, the ministry said.