flights are available to 88 cities in China and
69 cities abroad. The airport's capacity has
been greatly enhanced with the 244-acre third
passenger terminal. Built to cater to the traffic
from the Olympics, Terminal 3 has been
operational since March 2008.
The government is beginning the first phase of
the construction for the second capital airport
in Daxing district located south of the city.
This is expected to raise the annual passenger
throughput by 40 million. The transportation
system connecting the new airport, the Capital
Airport and downtown will also be improved.
By the year 2015, it will be possible to reach the
second capital airport from downtown within
30 minutes.
City infrastructure
Even with plans for the 7th Ring Road currently
underway, the city center is a virtual parking lot
during rush hour and remains gridlocked even
outside peak hours. The public transportation
system is still underdeveloped compared to other
major cities. Private vehicles must abide by a
system which bans cars with certain license plate
numbers depending on the days, thus cutting
the amount of cars on the road and easing traffic
congestion during rush hours.
Economy and investment climate
Beijing's GDP for 2010 was RMB1.38 trillion,
a 10.2 percent increase year-on-year. Per capita
GDP measured at RMB 70,265 in 2010. The
tertiary sector accounted for the majority of
the municipality's total output in 2010 with
RMB1.03 trillion, a 9.1 percent increase from
2009, followed by the secondary sector with
RMB332.31 billion, a 13.6 percent increase and
finally the primary sector with RMB12.43 billion,
a 1.6 percent decrease year-on-year. Beijing’s GDP
increased 11 percent during the previous FiveYear Plan, and its target goal for the 12th Five-Year
Plan is 8 percent per annum GDP growth.
In 2010, the total imports amounted to
US$245.94 billion and exports to US$55.47
billion. Beijing is the fourth largest region in
China for foreign trade, accounting for 10.2
percent of the country’s total foreign trad e.
Having the nation’s biggest science and
technology research bodies, Beijing will continue
to focus investments on its technology industries.
Beijing has appointed experts from reputable
institutions such as Tsinghua University and
Chinese Academy of Sciences to contribute to
the development of its e-commerce industry.
The Central Business District will focus on
development of high-end industries. Once the
Zhongguancun Science City is completed, it
is expected to bring further boost to China’s
technology industries.
Development zones, new districts
Beijing Central Business District
Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD),
located in Chaoyang District, covers 3.99
square kilometers and is home to more than
20,000 enterprises and 1,000 financial service
providers and leading media organizations.
Often referred to as Beijing’s Wall Street, the
CBD was able to secure investments from many
international companies with its good investment
environment, convenient transportation and a
high-speed telecommunications system. More
than 150 Fortune 500 companies including
Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Samsung have
established offices in the CBD. Office towers,
hotels, first-class apartments and multiple
service organizations involved in finance, IT and
intermediary service industries make it the city’s
biggest and most rapidly developing economic
area.
The CBD has developed four key business
areas – the China World Trade Center Area, the
Chaowai Area, the Lufthansa Area, and the Asia
Games Area. The China World Trade Center Area
is where Jianguomenwai (the eastern extension
of Beijing’s premier avenue) intersects the East
Third Ring Road. It is one of the most modern
and prosperous economic areas in Beijing. The
Chaowai and Lufthansa business areas, near many
embassies, have many office towers and financial
organizations.
After the 2008 Olympics, the CBD has
experienced significant economic growth due to
its growing electronics market, industrial parks,
and infrastructure improvements. The CBD will
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