Govt office moves planned to relieve capital's congestion

Beijing municipal government offices and affiliated institutions will be shifted gradually to Beijing's suburban Tongzhou district to make the city's central areas less crowded, city planning officials said on Tuesday.

The shift will include the massive development of public transportation systems in Tongzhou, including subways and intercity railways to link it with neighboring areas, as well as improved green buffer zones separating the district from Beijing's urban areas, the officials told Xinhua News Agency.

The idea is to make Tongzhou an independent new area, Xinhua reported.