Beijing and its neighbor, Hebei Province, are accelerating their integration so as to boost economic development. Traffic integration stands out as a priority. Travelers between Hebei and Beijing usually use private vehicles. Besides, compared with urban railways, which focus on passenger transport, roads play a more important role by transporting cargo as well as people. Logistics rely heavily on road transportation.

As the Beijing-Shenyang Expressway is becoming saturated, the Beijing-Qinghuangdao Expressway is expected to play a bigger role, connecting Beijing and cities and towns along its route through Hebei. Yanjiao of Hebei, a town only 35 km east to Beijing, will see several important logistics programs developed in coming years. Once the Beijing-Qinghuangdao Expressway is completed, Yanjiao-based logistics businesses can greatly help the integrated development of Beijing and its neighboring areas. Construction of the expressway is expected to be mostly finished by the end of 2017. Another important expressway also under construction is the Beijing Outer Ring Road, which will connect the seven expressways radiating from Beijing. When the two expressways are completed, the capital and its neighboring region will go ahead hand in hand at a faster pace.

(This is an edited excerpt of an article published in the Oriental Outlook on June 29)