The 2026 Annual Academic Conference of the Beijing World City Research Base and the First Symposium on the Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei World-Class Urban Agglomeration Held in Beijing

　　

　　On October 21, the “2026 Annual Academic Conference of the Beijing World City Research Base and the First Symposium on the Coordinated Development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei World-Class Urban Agglomeration” was held in Beijing. Nearly 100 experts and scholars from more than 30 universities and research institutes, as well as representatives of several academic journals, gathered from across the country for in-depth academic exchanges on the theme of “Urban Agglomerations and Coordinated Economic and Social Development.”

　　The opening ceremony was chaired by Research Fellow Lu Xiaocheng, Director of the Beijing World City Research Base and Director of the Institute of City Situation. Xiao Junfeng, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, and Head of the Lecturer Group of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. She stated that building a world-class urban agglomeration centered on the capital is a major strategic task in the new era for promoting high-quality regional development, fostering new quality productive forces, and establishing a pioneering demonstration zone for Chinese modernization. The conference aimed to build an interdisciplinary and cross-regional think tank dialogue platform, review the achievements and experience of coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, and reach academic consensus for accelerating the development of a modern capital metropolitan area and a world-class Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration.

　　During the keynote presentation session, six experts offered recommendations for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region from multiple perspectives. Xu Zhengzhong, Professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), proposed building the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region into a source of collaborative innovation through multimodal system integration, promoting the deep coupling of five major systems—innovation actors, chains, factors, space, and institutions—and creating a networked spatial pattern of “One Platform, Two Corridors, and Three Fulcrums.” Professor Cao Guangzhong of Peking University, based on a comparison of population data from multiple periods, found that the population flowing into China’s metropolitan areas shows an overall trend of dispersion, although significant regional disparities remain, and that addressing the administrative-boundary effect remains an important breakthrough point for coordinated governance. Research Fellow Zhou Yong of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences noted, based on quantitative assessment, that the development level of consumption centers in China’s urban agglomerations has been steadily improving, with the three major urban agglomerations, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, ranking among the leaders; efforts should be accelerated to build an integrated, tiered consumption system. Professor Yuan Ke of the University of International Business and Economics proposed a three-dimensional framework of “environmental support—capacity development—stakeholder participation” to drive youth-friendly cities from “talent attraction” toward “mutual success.” Research Fellow Li Sheng of Northwestern Polytechnical University drew on the university’s reform practices to explain the role of urban agglomerations as both a “receiving platform” and an “amplifier” for the commercialization of university research outcomes. Research Fellow Tang Xin of the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences used the Daxing Airport Economic Zone as an example to propose seven practical pathways for strengthening the role of the airport economy as a regional coordination hub in the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei world-class urban agglomeration.

　　On the afternoon of October 21, three parallel sub-forums were held simultaneously. Sixteen experts and scholars engaged in discussions and evaluations on three major themes: “People-Centered Cities and Governance Communities,” “Strategies for Coordinated Regional Development,” and “High-Quality Development of Academic Journals,” further deepening research consensus in specialized fields.

　　The conference systematically summarized the remarkable achievements and valuable experience gained from implementing the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development strategy since the beginning of the new era, offered a forward-looking assessment of the future direction of world-class urban agglomeration development, and brought together the wisdom of experts from multiple fields. The conference concluded that universities and research institutes should continue to deepen research in this area, strengthen cooperation and exchanges with academic and research platforms, and further promote the transformation of research outcomes and their industrial application. These efforts will provide solid intellectual support for advancing the high-standard construction and high-quality development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei world-class urban agglomeration centered on the capital, and for accelerating the development of pioneering and demonstration areas for Chinese modernization.

　　The conference was hosted by the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences and jointly organized by the Beijing World City Research Base, the Editorial Department of the Journal of Yangzhou University, and the Institute of City Situation at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.