This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China; it is the first year of the 14th Five-Year Plan, and a crucial year for strengthening Beijing's position as the center for international exchanges. Yesterday, the reporter learned from the Foreign Affairs Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality that based on the overall goal of building an international exchange capital with dynamic international exchanges, high-quality international services and prominent international influence, Beijing will coordinate arrangements for 74 key tasks and implement 42 major projects this year to further release the huge energy of the city as the center for international exchanges.

Serve the country's overall diplomacy

Deliver services to major state events is the primary function of Beijing as the center for international exchanges. This year, Beijing will further improve the regular working mechanism of service guarantee for major state events, providing guidance for the safe organization of major state events under regular epidemic prevention and control. At the same time, the city will systematically sort out the city's cultural and tourism resources, scientific and technological resources, parks, and enterprises, and build a system for the convergence of resources for foreign reception. Taking the opportunity of relieving Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the capital and conducting special operations to upgrade the city, Beijing will explore and cultivate characteristic places for state activities. Relying on the central axis, the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, the Western Mountain, the Yongding River, the characteristic hutong streets and traditional quadrangles, etc., Beijing aims to createa batch of "small and beautiful" characteristic sites for diplomatic activities and foreign affairs.

This year, Beijing will continue to promote the combination of online and offline international exchanges, strengthen anti-epidemic cooperation with sister cities and international organizations, and contribute Beijing's strength to global epidemic prevention and control. It will also promote online communication modes such as "cloud foreign affairs", "cloud lecture hall" and "cloud exhibition", and accelerate the transformation of sister city channel resources into real productivity so as to serve the high-level opening and high-quality development of the capital by utilizing city-level cooperation platforms such as the Beijing-Seoul Joint Committee and China and Central and Eastern European Countries Capital Mayors Forum.

Enhancing Beijing's comprehensive capacity for carrying out international exchanges

The development of functional facilities provides important support for comprehensively improving the international exchange environment and supporting service capabilities. This year, Beijing will firmly grasp the key link of major project construction and continue to promote the expansion, improvement and upgrading of various international exchange facilities. Besides, the city will coordinate the overall implementation of 42 major projects  at high level, of good development quality and strong driving ability with a total investment of over 210 billion yuan, further optimizing the spatial layout of international exchange featuring "One Core, Two Axes and Multiple Areas".

It is observedthat major projects are mainly divided into four categories: service projects to guarantee major state activities, including the projects of Beijing Yanqi Lake International Conference Resort and China National Convention Center Phase II; projects of pooling and carrying international high-end elements, including projects of New International Exhibition Center Phase II, the permanent venue of Zhongguancun Forum, and the China-Germany International Cooperation Industrial Park; projects giving impetus to Beijing's open development, including those of Daxing International Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone, and China Communication Center for Science and Technology, etc.; and projects promoting the international service environment, including the development of international hospitals, international schools, international talent communities, etc., the aim of which is to provide convenient public services for foreigners in Beijing.

Attract and pool international high-end resource elements

Coordinating the domestic and international situations and attracting international high-end resource elements such as multinational companies, R&D headquarters, and international talent. They are important components of the efforts to enhance the internationalization level of the city and support Beijing's high-level openness and high-quality development. This year, the city will continue to "enhance its tactics" in attracting international organizations to settle down, introduce a policy package of facilitation measures, explore innovative policies in the fields of education, medical care, foreign entry and exit, and accelerate the registration of a number of international organizations such as the Global Trade in Services Alliance, the Beijing Forum for Performing Arts and the Global Music Education League. It will also establish a long-term mechanism to attract international organizations to settle in Beijing, and guide more influential governance activities and projects in global politics, economy, science and technology and culture to settle there as well.

According to reports, Beijing will intensify policy innovation, make overall plans to facilitate the convenience and internationalization of services regarding the entry and exit, stay and residence as well as daily lives of foreign talent, and resolve the difficulties and barriers in their work and life. Taking advantage of the pioneering policies of Zhongguancun National Talent Management Reform Pilot Zone, the city will promote the introduction of a new round of international talent reform measures and effectively strengthen the service guarantee for international talent.

Following a number of brand activities, such as theBeijing International Film Festivaland Beijing Design Week, Beijing will adapt to the current epidemic prevention and control on a daily basis, improve the cultural festival activities empowered by scientific technologies, innovate the "5G + audio-visual" application scenarios, letting people feel the festivity of events and enjoy the audio-visual feast without leaving home.

Optimizing the international public service environment

Furthermore, Beijing will continue to improve international education, international medical facilities and supporting policies, accelerate the construction of international talent communities, and create a "quasi-overseas" environment.

Since the issuance and implementation of the Three-Year Action Plan on the Development of International Schools, a number of new international schools have been built in the city, and a foreign-related education service system covering kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, universities and colleges of various levels has been established with an integration of Chinese and foreign curriculum. This year being the last year of the action plan, Beijing will continue to push forward the construction of five international schools.

Moreover, strengthening the development of international hospitals and upgrading the level of international medical services are important measures to retain overseas high-level talent. This year, the city will continue to step up the progress of key projects of Beijing Anzhen Hospital and GoBroad Healthcare Group, and explore and implement supporting policies for international medical service and medical insurance with the support of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing Friendship Hospital and other international medical service pilot hospitals. Based on the pilot experience of Chaoyang District International Medical Consortium, Haidian District will be designated as a new pilot area to launch contract services for overseas strategic scientific and technological talent in need of family doctors.

At present, eight international talent community brands, Wangjing Subdistrict of Chaoyang District and Zhongguancun Science City included, have gradually taken shape. This year, efforts will be made to build characteristic demonstration neighborhoods where people canwork and live in close proximity, attracting first-class talent with a first-class environment. In addition, around the goals of Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics, the city will launch a special action for building an international language environment with the theme of Welcoming the Winter Olympics through Improvement, which will reflect Beijing's openness, inclusiveness and civility through creating a good international language environment.

(Reporter: Liu Feifei)