President's nationwide trips show road to the future

Han Qiang, dean of the School of Marxism at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Xi put forward comprehensive visions of Chinese modernization by taking into account the actual situation in various regions.

"During the trips, the president discussed both theory and methodology, while strategically planning the advancement of Chinese-style modernization at the start of the nation's new journey," he said.

Integrated development

One priority for Xi on his domestic travels last year was to advance integrated development for different regions.

In May, he visited Xiong'an New Area, about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, to push for new progress in the nation's "city of the future".

Speaking to officials during the trip, Xi stressed the need to advance the high-quality and high-standard development of Xiong'an, a landmark project for coordinating the growth of Beijing and neighboring Tianjin and Hebei province.

The president laid out the requirements for making Xiong'an an innovation hub and a fertile ground for entrepreneurship in the new era. He said it must strive to build a first-class business environment and formulate a comprehensive set of special support policies to attract and gather domestic and foreign forces, and capital.

Beijing Eyecool Technology Co, which researches and develops artificial intelligence, is one of the 219 high-tech startups that have moved their headquarters to Xiong'an in the past years.

Zhou Jun, the company's founder and CEO, said the decision to relocate to Xiong'an has been fully vindicated, as the company's revenue has soared to a historic high.

He said the infrastructure in Xiong'an has been increasingly refined, with institutional reforms delivering a transparent business environment for companies.