SHIJIAZHUANG, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 foreign guests have been deeply impressed by China's progress in modernization during their visit to the Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province this past weekend.
The foreign guests, including former foreign dignitaries, members of royal families and heads of international friendship organizations, were invited to China to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.
"It is absolutely incredible to see all the things that are being built here," said Robert Sanborn, former chairperson of the U.S.-China Peoples' Friendship Association.
Like Sanborn, many guests praised the speed, quality and sustainability of the country's high-level modernization, with Xiong'an serving as a model.
Jan Everett, national president of the Australia-China Friendship Society, was amazed by this Chinese city, despite having already made 26 trips to various places in China since the early 1980s. "I couldn't believe the development in such a short period of time," she said.
Since China announced plans to establish the Xiong'an New Area in April 2017, the city has evolved from a blueprint into a vibrant city. This new area is designed to relieve functions that are non-essential to Beijing's role as the national capital and advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
At the core of the first building zone of the new area, the group visited a landmark tower of the city, which will be the headquarters of Sinochem Holdings when finished. Upon hearing that a new story could be added to the building in as little as seven days during its peak construction, many guests took out their phones to take pictures of it.
China's centrally administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have set up more than 140 subsidiaries and branches in the area. Construction projects of headquarters buildings of big SOEs are at various stages of development.
Not far away, a new terminal station is also under construction. In the future, it will only take 30 minutes for travelers here to reach Beijing Daxing International Airport and 60 minutes to reach the Lize Financial Business District in Beijing.
"Even right in the background here, you can hear that there's a lot of construction roaring. New facilities are being set up and bringing people here," said Puso Gaborone, chairman of Botswana's former House of Chiefs, adding that the quality and design of the infrastructure being built are impressive.
Dubbed China's "city of the future," Xiong'an does not merely emphasize fast development; it prioritizes people in its approach to modernization and takes ecological and environmental sustainability into account throughout the entire process.
Filip Vujanovic, former president of Montenegro, acclaimed Xiong'an as an "extraordinary city" that demonstrates the capabilities of China.
"This area is absolutely an ideal model for providing everything, for providing good conditions for life, and for creating everything that is necessary for a comfortable life," said the former president.
At the lakeside, foreign guests were walking along plank roads over the lake while nearby reeds gently waving in the afternoon breeze. Looking at the natural beauty around her, Jelena Knezevic, another foreign guest from Montenegro, spoke highly of the improvement of local environment.
"I believe that replication of this model can take place also in my country at some spots related to the coastal area," added Knezevic.
During his two-day visit, David Chong, founder and president of the U.S.-China Youth and Student Exchange Association, took many photos.
"Next year we'll bring more American students to China. Hopefully I will lead them to visit Xiong'an again, show them the pictures and videos I've taken today and see what differences it will make in a year with such fast construction speed," said Chong. ■
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