On the morning of March 17, the Leading Group for Improving Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges convened a meeting to deliberate on its work priorities for 2025, the 2024 annual work report, the Implementation Guidelines for the Plan on Building Beijing into the Center for International Exchanges, and the Work Plan for Enhancing Beijing’s International Services. Yin Li, Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Head of the Leading Group presided over the session. Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing; You Jun, Deputy Secretary and Head of the Organization Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee; Chen Zhou, Vice Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee; and Zhu Qin, Deputy Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting.
According to the meeting, 2025 marks a pivotal year with numerous major events in Beijing. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, Beijing must strengthen its role as the center for international exchanges, ensuring progress in both infrastructure development and service capacity improvement. This will contribute to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, China’s overall diplomacy, and Beijing’s high-quality development. All-out efforts should be made to support the Party’s and the country’s foreign exchange efforts, ensuring the success of head-of-state diplomacy and major state events. Foreign-related tasks should be completed with the highest standards. To bolster the comprehensive capacity for undertaking foreign exchange activities, the meeting called for efforts to upgrade the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Conference Resort, accelerate the planning and development of the Fourth Embassy Area and its surrounding areas, and enhance the functions and quality of the central area of the Olympic Park and the China International Exhibition Center (New Venue). New platforms, such as the Great Wall Museum of China, will also be created. Diplomatic venues with unique characteristics will be developed based on the successful inclusion of the Beijing Central Axis to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Additionally, Beijing will streamline entry procedures for foreign nationals by implementing national visa-free policies, optimize air traffic resources at its two aviation hubs, and increase international flight routes to key cities. To promote the high-standard opening-up and high-quality development of the capital, the meeting outlined strategies to adopt international and market-oriented approaches in organizing exhibitions, increase the influence of Beijing’s “Four Platforms”, ensure the success of flagship events like the “Beijing Night” of the China Development Forum, and attract more signature foreign investment projects to Beijing.
The meeting emphasized the need to strengthen the guiding role of planning and to accurately understand the requirements of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era. It stressed the importance of aligning current needs with long-term objectives and optimizing the spatial layout of international exchanges under the framework of “One Core, Two Axes, and Multiple Areas”. Efforts should be made to improve resource allocation. The service functions and resource support of key areas and facilities should be strengthened, creating diverse environments for international exchanges and more high-quality, distinctive spaces for foreign affairs activities. In addition, working mechanisms should also be improved. It was suggested that the requirements for improving Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges be incorporated throughout the planning, implementation, and evaluation stages. Moreover, a dynamic management mechanism for key projects and a collaborative implementation system should be established to ensure coordinated efforts.
The meeting also emphasized the need to adopt a problem-oriented approach, focusing on foreign nationals’ needs in areas such as business, study, and tourism. The meeting called for continued improvements in foreign-related government services, highlighting the importance of implementing tailored strategies for different target groups. For international business professionals, all-round business services should be optimized to enhance their experience. For inbound tourists, tourism offerings should be further diversified to make Beijing their top travel destination in China. For international students, policies related to recruitment, study, and management should be refined to build a stronger brand of “Study in Beijing”. Furthermore, the meeting encouraged policy innovation, advocating for more facilitation measures for foreigners to be piloted in Beijing.
The attendees deliberated on the List of Supportive Measures of Members from the Central Authorities of the Leading Group for Improving Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges (2025). The meeting also heard reports on foreign nationals entering and residing in Beijing and progress in improving Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges in 2024.
Other central and municipal leaders who attended the meeting included Zhao Chenxin, Yan Dong, Gao Zheng, Miao Deyu, Xia Linmao, Sun Junmin, Zhao Lei, Tan Xuxiang, Sima Hong, Mu Peng, Sun Shuo, and Zeng Jin, Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government.
(Written by Qi Mengzhu, Liu Feifei)
