Hong Kong’s Langham group invests in Beijing’s ‘city of the future’ Xiongan

A hotel operator’s planned entry into Xiongan New Area southwest of Beijing highlights a tentative but growing alignment between Hong Kong’s private sector and the state-backed development project, as leaders renew efforts to accelerate the zone’s transformation into a hi-tech growth hub. Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eagle Holdings, said on Thursday that it had signed a management agreement with China Xiongan Group Public Service Management to open two hotels in Xiongan, located in Hebei province about 100km (62 miles) from Beijing. The hotel complex, one of the most tangible investments by a Hong Kong company in the project, will span about 23,700 square metres (about 255,000 sq ft) and offer 300 hotel rooms under the Cordis and Ying’nFlo brands. It is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2028. “As the city takes shape, we believe our dual-brand approach will be well-suited to support the broad range of travel needs that will accompany its growth,” said Bob van den Oord, CEO at Langham. The move comes after President Xi Jinping visited Xiongan last month and called for faster progress in building it into “an innovation hub in the new era” and a model for high-quality development, according to state media. Xi reiterated that the zone’s core role was to absorb non-essential functions from Beijing, including state firms, universities and hospitals, while fostering emerging industries and improving public services. First announced in 2017, Xiongan is a centrepiece of China’s regional strategy to ease pressure on the capital and rebalance growth across the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. The opening of the Beijing-Xiongan Intercity Railway has cut travel time from Beijing to Xiongan to around 30 minutes. The project has faced scrutiny over slow population growth and limited commercial activity, but recent relocations – including major state-owned enterprises – signal renewed momentum. Hong Kong’s involvement remains modest, but is taking shape across both corporate and policy channels. Hong Kong Cyberport has proposed a “dual circulation” collaboration model with Xiongan, aimed at pairing the mainland city’s research and development capabilities with Hong Kong’s financing and international market access. At the government level, Hong Kong has engaged Xiongan through official and business delegations and academic exchanges, focusing on infrastructure planning and city-university integration. The visits are closely tied to Hong Kong’s own Northern Metropolis project, a planned economic and innovation hub near the mainland border, where officials are seeking to replicate elements of Xiongan’s state-led planning approach. Hong Kong authorities have also encouraged companies from Xiongan and Beijing to use the city as a platform for overseas expansion, positioning it as a superconnector linking mainland innovation with global capital.