Investment in China's Xiong'an New Area, to the south of Beijing and in northern Hebei Province, increased by 13.5 percent year over year in the first half of 2025, driving investment growth in Hebei by 1.6 percentage points year over year.
As the central hub for relocating non-capital functions from Beijing, the Xiong'an New Area has entered a phase of parallel development that prioritizes both large-scale construction and functional transitions.
At present, a high-rise fortune tower project is underway in the financial island area of the Xiong'an New Area, with over 2,000 builders diligently working at the construction site.
The total construction area of the financial island project exceeds 780,000 square meters, covering functions such as offices, apartments, commerce, and transportation.
With the basic sites for the second batch of relocation projects selected, central state-owned enterprises have established over 300 branches in Xiong'an.
Meanwhile, the Xiong'an Aerospace Information Research Institute has leveraged China's BeiDou navigation system and 5G multi-mode convergence technology to solve the challenge of underground positioning, and the solution is now fully implemented in the Rongdong area of Xiong'an.
"We are currently promoting the Xiong'an New Area as a model to all parts of the country. We are already connecting with underground positioning in areas like Qingdao Port, and with several scenarios in Chongqing, Hainan, and Beijing," said Lu Zhaoming, deputy director of Xiongan Aerospace Information Research Institute.
Investment in Xiong'an New Area increases by 13.5 pct in H1
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia is fully prepared and willing to negotiate with Ukraine at a U.S. military facility in Anchorage, Alaska, while his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting.
At a meeting with heads of major international news agencies attending the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said Russia remains prepared to pursue a negotiated settlement based on a framework discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in Anchorage in August 2025.
He said Russia is ready to accept the compromises discussed at the meeting and expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would also agree to them.
Ukraine has previously rejected the Anchorage framework, as it calls for Ukraine to cede territory.
Meanwhile, Putin said Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of contact and have taken complete control of the Luhansk region, 85 percent of the Donetsk region and 80 percent of the Zaporizhzhia region.
Russia's Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev said at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday that despite efforts by forces seeking to prolong the war to disrupt talks between Russia and the U.S., bilateral engagement on Ukraine has made substantive progress.
Dmitriev dismissed reports that Russia-U.S. contacts have stalled, accusing other European nations of spreading disinformation to hinder the peace process.
Dmitriev also said that on Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and discussed bilateral economic cooperation.
He said the U.S. side had underscored the need to embrace peace rather than engage in constant provocations and confrontations.
The U.S. has been pushing for peace and Ukraine should join the process, Dmitriev noted, adding there were plans for further contacts with Witkoff and Kushner next week.
Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Putin, proposing to end the conflict through direct talks between the two leaders.
Relevant parties, including European countries and the U.S., should be part of the peace negotiations, the letter stated.
Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire during the talks and proposes an exchange of prisoners of war on the principle of "all for all," Zelensky also said in the letter.
Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin
Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin
