The eighth plenary session of the 11th Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, held in Beijing on Nov 24-25, approved a proposal on Beijing's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) for socioeconomic development made by the Beijing Municipal Party Committee.

The goals of Beijing's 13th Five-Year Plan were set at the session as follows:

Beijing will substantially relocate non-capital functions, alleviate severe "urban diseases" and other prominent problems, and strengthen core capital functions.

Beijing will maintain economic growth at a middle-high speed; double the figures of 2010 for gross regional domestic product and per capita income of urban and rural residents by 2020; and form a high-tech economic structure to facilitate Beijing as China's technological innovation center with international influence.

Beijing will improve people's living standards and quality of life and enable its people to have higher equitable access to basic public services; and ensure that residents with financial difficulties have the basic enjoyments of life.

Beijing will raise its level of civilization and improve the social quality of its citizens.

Beijing will significantly improve the quality of its eco-environment.

Beijing will improve mechanisms and systems for different fields and enable the basic systems of city governance to take shape.

Guo Jinlong, Party chief of Beijing, said the city needs to work hard during the 13th Five-Year Plan period to achieve those goals and solve the problems that restrict the city's development.

Guo spoke of the ten key points in the proposal.

1. Beijing's economic growth to be maintained at a middle-high speed

To take the lead in building a moderately prosperous society, maintaining economic growth is a must, said Guo. Beijing will show development vitality by speeding up its economic transformation and establishing an economic structure composed of high-tech and top-notch industries.

The three strategies of the Belt and Road Initiative, the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province, and the Yangtze River Economic Zone, as well as preparation for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei innovation and reform pilot zone, will bring new opportunities for the capital.

Guo said that Beijing needs to achieve economic growth through enhancing development quality and effects during the 13th Five-Year Plan and to make sure its 2010 gross regional domestic product and resident income levels double by 2020.

A residential building in Beijing in 2011. [Photo by Liu Huaiyu/Asianewsphoto]