Chinese political advisors have put forth suggestions that the offices of the central authorities and the Beijing Municipal Government be moved out of Beijing's downtown area and relocated in the suburbs to "ease the pressure on urban transportation and environment".

"A new central administrative district should be established in the northern or northwestern suburbs of the capital city, to house those central authorities departments whose office buildings now occupy Beijing's downtown area," said Zhu Ming, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China's top advisory body now in its annual full session in Beijing.

The government relocation will help "ease the pressure on Beijing's urban transportation" and also "divert some population from the already overcrowded old city proper", explained Zhu from east China's coastal province of Shandong.

He said that the relocation would add convenience and efficiency to the government operation, as currently the central authorities have many office buildings scattered in almost every corner of the city, resulting in "poor communications between each other".

"It will also be conducive to further tapping the tourist potentials of Beijing's imperial cultural heritage such as the Forbidden City and other royal palaces and gardens," he added.

Echoing Zhu's proposal, CPPCC member Cai Guoxiong suggested that the Municipal Government of Beijing should also move its seat out of the busiest Wangfujing area.

"Moving its seat to the suburban areas will not only help slow down the soaring of land price and alleviate the traffic congestion and environmental deterioration in the Wangfujing area, but also enable the city government to upgrade office facilities and improve its working conditions," said Cai.

However, according to media reports earlier this year, officials of the Ministry of Construction had clarified that neither the central authorities nor the Beijing city government has any plan for relocation in the years to come.

(Xinhua News Agency March 11, 2005)