Xi Leads Top Officials Back to Xiong’an, Calls Decision ‘Correct’ Amid Doubts

Xiong'an has become China's largest unfinished project. (Online screenshot)

[People News] Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping visited the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei on March 23 (Monday) and chaired a related symposium. Official statements said the project has achieved “major phased results” and again emphasized that the “decisions were entirely correct.” Nearly nine years into the project, top leadership has once again made a concentrated show of support.

According to Xinhua, Xi visited the Xiong’an startup zone, China Huaneng Group, and the Xiong’an campus of Beijing No. 4 High School, and met with personnel from organizations that have moved there.

Radio Free Asia reported that this is Xi’s first visit to Xiong’an in two years with members of the Politburo Standing Committee. A Beijing-based independent scholar, Fu Tao (pseudonym), told Radio Free Asia on Tuesday (March 24) that Xi and two other Standing Committee members visited Xiong’an at a time when the project is being forcefully pushed forward, with many central universities and enterprises required to relocate there:

“Progress has indeed accelerated over the past two years. But Xiong’an’s popularity—and external expectations—remain quite weak. Much like the serious deflation currently seen in China, Xiong’an is no exception.”

Return Visit After Two Years

Fu Tao said that under these circumstances, Xi’s visit appeared more symbolic, showing he has not forgotten the project:

“I think this is more of a symbolic inspection and will not materially improve China’s current deflationary situation. The issue is that since this year’s Lunar New Year, the Communist Party has been promoting so-called ‘performance evaluation’ education across the party. Against this backdrop, Xiong’an—personally planned and promoted by Xi—raises questions about how its actual performance aligns with this campaign.”

Fu suggested the visit may be intended as a model example for officials at the county level and above, but added:

“The problem is, this ‘model’ is hard to describe as a positive example.”

Accompanying Xi were Premier Li Qiang, Director of the General Office Cai Qi, Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang, and Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees macroeconomics and major projects.

Economic Officials Signal Shift in Focus

Compared with the 2023 visit, the presence of He Lifeng is seen as significant. A Peking University sociologist, Mr. Liang, told reporters:

“Bringing He Lifeng suggests the issue is no longer just about political signaling—it has reached a stage where investment and resources are needed to address real problems.”

He added:

“If a project requires repeated attention from top leadership, along with coordination from the economic system, it usually means it has not yet developed self-sustaining market momentum. Xiong’an’s challenge isn’t just construction progress, but whether industries and returns can keep up.”

Relocation Driven by Administrative Power

According to official summaries, Xiong’an still needs to continue relocating state-owned enterprises, universities, and hospitals in stages, while strengthening policy support for personnel.

A Beijing-based regional economist, Mr. Xiao, said:

“If a city needs policies to ‘arrange’ for people to move there, it shows its inherent attractiveness is still insufficient. The key issue isn’t how fast it’s built, but whether people are willing to stay.”

During the visit, Xi also toured the Beijing No. 4 High School campus, visiting classrooms and the student cafeteria. Officials said students should “grow together with Xiong’an.”

Ms. Liu, a retired teacher from Tangshan, said:

“Many people have been transferred there, but their families may not want to move. If supporting services like schools and hospitals don’t keep up, it’s hard to retain people.”

Repeated Emphasis on “Correctness”

At the symposium, officials again described the project as having achieved “major phased results” and reiterated that the decisions were “entirely correct”—phrasing that has been repeated in past visits.

Mr. Xiao noted:

“If a project is running smoothly, there’s no need to repeatedly prove it’s correct. These statements seem more like a response to doubts about investment versus returns.”

The meeting also highlighted “new quality productive forces,” technological innovation, and industrial integration—continuing recent policy themes.

Mr. Xiao added:

“These concepts are being used to find direction for a place that still lacks a mature industrial base. Without clear profit expectations for companies, it’s hard to build a stable industrial ecosystem through policy alone.”

Since its establishment in 2017, Xiong’an New Area has been positioned by officials as a “project of a thousand-year significance.” Despite sustained high-level support and resource investment, uncertainties remain about its long-term sustainability, particularly as population inflow, industrial clustering, and resource allocation have yet to form a self-sustaining system.