A delegation of foreign diplomats visited the Xiong'an New Area in north China's Hebei Province from Wednesday to Thursday to witness firsthand the rapid development of China's "city of the future."

The Xiong'an New Area, located about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, was established on April 1, 2017. It aims to relieve Beijing of non-essential functions related to its status as the nation's capital, while also advancing the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The process explores a new model of development in densely populated areas.

During the two-day visit, the delegation, consisting of ambassadors from 18 countries, including Argentina, Pakistan, Jordan and Latvia, along with 60 diplomats, toured key sites like the Xiong’an Urban Computing Center, the new headquarters of Sinochem Holdings Corporation Ltd., the comprehensive service center of the area's start-up zone, and the Yannan Dyke in Baiyangdian Lake. This visit showcased the area's achievements in urban planning, project construction, and ecological protection.

At the Sinochem tower, a newly completed landmark in the burgeoning new area, delegates met with company executives and received briefings on the state-owned giant's businesses and its relocation to Xiong'an.

Sinochem Holdings, formed through the 2021 merger of Sinochem and ChemChina, moved its headquarters to Xiong'an in October 2025. The company now operates in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide.

Lucia Skvareninova, economic counsellor at the Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Beijing, expressed her amazement at the pace of development in Xiong'an, which she said reflects the future of China's development concepts.

"It's really amazing to see how the progress is really fast, especially being in this building, in this tower, which is brand new. And we have the opportunity to take a look and also to exchange with the leaders of Sinochem," she said.

For the visiting diplomats, Sinochem’s relocation offered a window into a broader experiment -- whether a newly planned city can successfully combine industrial planning, smart infrastructure, and international partnerships.

Jordanian Ambassador to China Hussam Al Husseini praised the integration of digital and green technologies.

"It is very important also to watch and to observe the development and the progress of this smart city concept here in Xiong'an and how much it is really serving these new technologies, these green technologies and the whole concept of smart city. So, I am sure that, yes, we will have more visits back to Xiong'an as diplomats. And I am sure that whenever we have the chance to have our visitors from my country, Jordan, it will be a good opportunity for them to see such a remarkable success story," he said.

During the visit, diplomats engaged in in-depth discussions on urban governance, green development, and international cooperation. Many said that they were deeply impressed by the progress made in Xiong'an and noted that the area's innovative practices offer valuable lessons for urban development in other countries, especially developing nations.

"[It's] a very good experience to see how much these digital technologies have been applied, and the applications of the new software technologies, the digital technologies for the services of this city. We have seen how much the future is promising," said Husseini.

"I like it very much, because we can see a lot of new constructions, beautiful boulevards, and new factories, and everything. [Xiong'an is] the city of the future and the city of the world," said Sashko Nasev, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to China.