China urges swift completion of university relocations to Xiong'an

Authorities have urged utmost efforts to ensure the swift relocation of the first batch of university campuses from Beijing to Xiong'an New Area in time to welcome students by September 2027, the Ministry of Education said on Wednesday.

The urgency was underscored at a meeting held on Tuesday in Xiong'an, Hebei province, which marked the one-year countdown to the targeted opening. The meeting was attended by Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng, Hebei Party Secretary Luo Wen, and Vice-Minister of the National Development and Reform Commission Wang Changlin.

The relocation of the four universities — University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing Jiaotong University, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), and Beijing Forestry University — is a key component of the national strategy to relieve Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital and to promote the integrated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, according to a release from the ministry.

Their timely opening is seen as critical to the overall success of the relocation effort and the broader regional strategy, it said.

At the meeting, officials outlined three key tasks over the coming year. The first is ensuring all construction and equipment installation are completed on schedule with high quality. The second is implementing comprehensive support services that prioritize faculty and students' overall well-being and success. The third is fostering innovation by aligning academic disciplines with local industrial needs, with plans to set up research platforms such as the Xiong'an Innovation Engineering Institute and a national center for outstanding engineers.

Representatives from the four universities, along with construction company delegates and officials from the Xiong'an New Area management committee, shared their progress and plans during the meeting. Representatives from the second and third batches of planned relocated universities also attended the meeting.