More than three trillion-yuan steps: A review of the achievements of coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period

On February 24th, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics released a comprehensive report on the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. During this period, the GDP of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region increased from 8.96 trillion yuan in 2020 to nearly 12 trillion yuan in 2025, surpassing three trillion-yuan thresholds consecutively. Notably, there are significant highlights in industrial transformation and collaborative innovation, with the tertiary industry accounting for over 70%, and new-generation information technology and renewable energy photovoltaic projects playing leading roles. The regional technology contract transaction volume reached 1.4 trillion yuan, 1.8 times that of 2020. Additionally, in terms of services and public welfare, the “1–1.5 hour transportation circle” among major cities has been basically established, and public services such as healthcare and elderly care have been improved and shared. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the “one core, two wings” driving role of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei has been significantly enhanced, and collaborative development has entered a new stage.

Crossing three trillion-yuan thresholds

Data shows that the GDP of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region increased from 8.96 trillion yuan in 2020 to nearly 12 trillion yuan in 2025, surpassing three trillion-yuan thresholds consecutively; at constant prices, the GDP in 2025 grew by 5.4% year-on-year, higher than the national average by 0.4 percentage points. The three areas achieved GDP of 52,073 billion yuan, 18,540 billion yuan, and 49,305 billion yuan respectively, with growth rates of 5.4%, 4.8%, and 5.6%. The average annual growth rates during the period were 5.2%, 4.4%, and 5.4%.

Among them, Tongzhou District, where the Beijing City Sub-center is located, saw an average annual GDP growth rate of over 6%, maintaining a scale of investment exceeding 100 billion yuan. Major infrastructure projects such as the eastern extension of Guangqu Road, the transformation of the Sixth Ring Road into an urban area, and Beijing Tongzhou Station have been completed and put into use. Major cultural and tourism projects like Universal Studios Theme Park and the Grand Canal Cultural Tourism Area have also been launched. The commercial landscape continues to expand, with 15 large commercial facilities totaling nearly 1.07 million square meters by the end of 2025.

Meanwhile, Xiong’an New Area has entered a stage of large-scale construction and functions as a hub for undertaking non-capital functions from Beijing, maintaining an annual investment scale of 200 billion yuan. Over the past five years, the construction of projects to transfer functions to Xiong’an has accelerated, with speed-ups in the relocation of central enterprises, including China Star Network, Sinochem, and China Huaneng, which have officially moved in. Innovation-driven development has become the main engine of regional growth. By the end of 2025, over 400 state-owned enterprises have established various institutions in Xiong’an, with over 200 key enterprises in fields such as aerospace information, artificial intelligence, and digital technology gathering there.

Cooperation between Beijing and Tianjin has become even closer. Tianjin Binhai New Area has attracted investment of over 290 billion yuan from major projects originating in Beijing, with a number of central enterprises such as China National Chemical Corporation, Sinopec, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation continuing to expand their presence. Tianjin University Science and Technology Innovation Park has strengthened connections with Beijing’s innovation resources, registering over 4,500 tech-based enterprises. The port of Tianjin has seen significant improvements in its shipping capacity, with cargo throughput reaching 590 million tons and container throughput reaching 24.03 million TEUs in 2025, representing 1.2 and 1.3 times the levels of 2020, respectively.

Wang Wenxi, Vice Chairman of the China Enterprise Capital Alliance, believes that crossing three trillion-yuan thresholds is not only a leap in economic volume but also a fundamental shift in development mode. From collaborative innovation to high-end intelligent manufacturing, from siphon effects to radiation-driven growth, with the improvement of the “Six Chains and Five Clusters” industrial system, active technology trading markets, and shared public services, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is moving from “geographical proximity” to “deep integration.”

The tertiary industry surpasses 70%

It is noteworthy that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the industry in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has accelerated its transformation and upgrading, with demand structures continuously optimized. The regional industrial composition shifted from 4.7:27.7:67.6 in 2020 to 4.1:25.8:70.1 in 2025, with the tertiary industry exceeding 70%. The proportions of the three industries in the three areas are 86%, 65.2%, and 55.1%, respectively, each increasing by 1.6, 1.6, and 3.5 percentage points compared to 2020.

By 2025, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size in the region is expected to grow by 6.6% year-on-year. High-end manufacturing is prominent, with Beijing and Tianjin’s high-tech manufacturing added value accounting for 32.1% and 16.6% of industrial enterprises above designated size, respectively, each increasing by 4.4 and 1.2 percentage points since 2020. Hebei’s high-tech industry added value accounts for 25.5% of industrial enterprises above designated size, up 6.1 percentage points from 2020.

Production of new products is also rapidly increasing. The output of integrated circuits has grown by 74.3% since 2020, and industrial robot production has doubled. Modern service industries are key supports, with the added value reaching 8.4 trillion yuan, up 5.8%. The proportion of finance, information transmission, software, and information technology services in regional GDP is 24.2%, an increase of 3.2 percentage points since 2020.

Demand structure continues to optimize. In 2025, fixed asset investments (excluding rural households) in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei are projected to grow by 5.5%, 1.6%, and 6.1%, respectively, with significant effects from large-scale equipment upgrades. Equipment purchase investments are expected to increase by 66%, 24.1%, and 45.3%, respectively, with new-generation information technology and renewable energy photovoltaic projects playing leading roles.

Consumption continues to expand steadily. Retail sales of consumer goods in the region increased from 2989.98 billion yuan in 2020 to 3329.98 billion yuan in 2025, with an average annual growth of 2.2%. Upgraded and “trade-in” related products performed well; by 2025, retail sales of jewelry and gold, silver, and jewelry products in Beijing increased by 39.5%, and new energy vehicles by 13.2%. In Tianjin and Hebei, retail sales of cultural and office supplies increased by 61.9% and 37.5%, respectively, while communication equipment sales grew by 75.7% and 41.1%.

Angel investor and senior AI expert Guo Tao states that industrial transformation has made the regional industrial structure healthier, with emerging industries taking the lead and relying less on traditional models, enhancing resilience; collaborative innovation facilitates the flow of innovation resources across regions. The results of “your” R&D are “my” transformation, improving efficiency and injecting new momentum into traditional industries, creating new scenarios and business models, and making development more sustainable.

Regional technology contract transactions reach 1.4 trillion yuan

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, innovation cooperation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei has achieved new breakthroughs, promoting deeper regional industrial collaboration.

By 2025, the transaction volume of regional technology contracts in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei will reach 1.4 trillion yuan, 1.8 times that of 2020. Beijing’s innovation-driven radiance is prominent, with technology contracts flowing to Tianjin and Hebei exceeding 320 billion yuan, growing at an average annual rate of 23%, 1.7 times the growth during the 13th Five-Year Plan. The Tianjin Center, Hebei Center, and Xiong’an Center of the National Technology Innovation Center have been established and are operational. Over 10,000 branch offices of Zhongguancun enterprises have been set up in Tianjin and Hebei.

In 2025, industry projects from Beijing and Hebei in Tianjin amounted to 184.78 billion yuan, accounting for 52.1% of all regional industry project investments. Over 10,000 legal entities in the three areas have established cross-provincial branches, with Beijing’s branch count in Tianjin-Hebei increasing by 48.5% since 2020. The “Six Chains and Five Clusters” industrial collaboration has shown results, with the number of national-level advanced manufacturing clusters in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei increasing from 2 in 2022 to 7 in 2025. The region has hosted the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Industry Chain and Supply Chain Conference for three consecutive years, promoting the formation of industry alliances in automotive supply chains, biomedicine, and other fields.

The “one-hour auto parts supporting circle” is also accelerating. In 2025, the output of new energy vehicles in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei reached 1.084 million units, with an annual growth rate exceeding 60% during the 14th Five-Year Plan. Three smart connected new energy vehicle technology ecosystems are gradually being built, with the first batch of enterprises signing contracts to settle in Wuqing Park. By the end of 2025, 70 enterprises from Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas have settled in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Cangzhou Biomedicine Industrial Park.

Research and investment continue to grow rapidly. In 2024, the total R&D expenditure intensity in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei was 4.2%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points since 2020. High R&D investment has driven rapid growth in innovation outcomes, with the number of invention patents reaching 141,000 by 2025, nearly 1.9 times that of 2020. By the end of 2025, the region will have over 2,000 “little giant” enterprises at the national level, nearly ten times the number at the end of 2020; manufacturing “champion” enterprises number 129, accounting for a higher proportion of the national total since 2020.

“1–1.5 hour transportation circle” basically realized

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the railway mileage in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei increased by 710 km, with total operational mileage reaching 10,394.9 km. In 2025, passenger volume transported by rail between Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and other provinces and cities is 2.6 times that of 2020. The Tianjin–Qingdao intercity and Tianjin–Xingcheng intercity railways have been completed and opened, and the “1–1.5 hour transportation circle” among major cities has been basically established. Thirty-eight cross-provincial bus routes cover 17 counties and cities around Beijing, with over 4.8 million passengers served, saving an average of 30–40 minutes in commuting time.

Healthcare and elderly care policies are accelerating implementation, expanding high-quality resources. By 2025, the number of Tianjin and Hebei residents insured and directly settled for medical treatment in Beijing increased by 25.2% compared to the previous year, accounting for 35.5% of medical settlements outside the region. The three areas jointly established 115 regional medical alliances, with 1,326 medical institutions sharing 104 types of test results, and 834 institutions sharing 120 types of medical imaging data. The three regions have also held the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Elderly Care Service Cooperation Promotion Conference for three consecutive years, strengthening resource docking. By the end of September 2025, over 10,000 Beijing residents have moved into Hebei elderly care institutions, and over 200 into Tianjin elderly care facilities.

Yuan Shuai, Deputy Director of the Investment Department of the China Urban Development Research Institute, believes that the quality and sharing of public services such as healthcare, elderly care, and education during the 14th Five-Year Plan period have truly translated into tangible improvements in people’s livelihoods. These collaborative measures in public welfare have brought real changes in transportation, healthcare, elderly care, and education, benefiting every citizen and creating a resonance between regional development and improved living standards.