In 2020 the major northern city of Tianjin is expected to attain its economic growth target of around 5 percent, after estimates that GDP last year rose over 4.5 percent, according to a government work report delivered at the opening of the annual session of the Tianjin Municipal People's Congress.

The report also indicated that Tianjin’s other main economic indicators were sound.

Last year the estimated general public budget revenue increased by 14.4 percent year-on-year, the urban unemployment rate kept at 5.5 percent and resident's per capita disposable income increased by around 7 percent in real terms, the report said.

Prices, as measured by the CPI, or consumer price index, were estimated to have increased last year by 2.7 percent.

The report said progress continues to be made relieving nearby Beijing of functions nonessential to its role as the nation's capital.

Last year Tianjin witnessed the expansion and relocation of Beijing-based centrally administered State-owned enterprises, financial institutions, scientific research institutions, medical establishments and colleges and universities.

Tianjin also supported the construction of the Xiongan New Area in Hebei Province, as well as deepening cooperation on information sharing, logistics services, inspections and quarantines between Tianjin Port and Xiongan.

Officials said its inter-regional management of air, river and ecology protection has been highlighted with more practical measures.

As for transportation development, the construction of an expressway and three high-speed railways in the region is well underway.

Officials said the efforts made to transform Tianjin Port into a world-class intelligent terminal, with matching management levels, have significantly cut the customs processing times and increased the port’s cargo volumes – as measured by twenty foot equivalents, or TEUs, by 8.1 percent last year.

The city saw a speed up in the development of technology-based enterprises in 2019, with the total number of hi-tech firms reaching 6,000 and with expectations that they will reach 7,000 in 2020. 

Tianjin plans to establish a national pilot zone for the innovation and development of artificial intelligence, four national enterprise technology centers and five industrial technology research institutes, according to the third session of the 17th Tianjin Municipal People's Congress.

By 2024, Tianjin aims to have over 10,000 national high-tech enterprises, with over 70 listed technology-based firms.

Officials said the number of newly registered market entities in north China's Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone has reached 64,000 with registered capital of the FTZ, which was launched in 2015, having exceeded 2.16 trillion yuan ($314 billion) last year.

According to the report, Tianjin has actively integrated into the Belt and Road Initiative, vigorously developed its sea-rail transportation, signed 11 Sino-European industrial cooperation projects and newly established the Luban workshops.

The report said that favorable recruitment policies included in the Haihe Talents Plan had last year attracted 248,000 people to the city, with an average age of 32 years, of which 45.1 percent were high qualified and skilled.

To make the city more attractive to international professionals, Tianjin has also expanded its employment package for foreign experts, to include more flexible pension and housing funds, commercial medical insurance and even children's tuition fees.

A total of 20 projects benefiting people’s lives have been carried out, including increasing the city’s capacity 6,000 preliminary students last year compared with the previous year.

Tianjin’s wetlands cover an area of 875 sq km, as big as 15 Manhattan Islands, all under government protection since the city launched its “1+4” conservation plan in 2017, so called because of its holistic guideline and four specific schemes tailored to the city’s four major wetlands.

Officials said protective measures have included additional water supplies to the wetlands, strict closures of factories, fishing and farming in the areas -- and even village resettlements.