Beijing to force out more industries

Beijing is set to ramp up its expulsion of industries from the center of the city, leaving only premium and high-tech sectors amid a regional integration scheme that is seeing more rudimentary industries concentrated outside of the Chinese capital.

An updated catalogue of industries either restricted or banned from Beijing released on Monday suggests nearly 80 percent of all business sectors will be cleared from the six districts that constitute downtown Beijing, where quality of life has been compromised by air pollution, traffic congestion and dwindling resources.

The six districts are inhabited by 59 percent of Beijing's total population and make up 70 percent of its economic output.

The integration of Beijing and neighboring province Hebei and port city Tianjin will focus on stripping Beijing's "non-capital functions," such as regular manufacturing, logistics services, wholesale markets, some schools and hospitals and non-essential government bodies, according to authorities.

In July, Beijing's municipal government announced a decision to move some of its departments to the city's eastern suburb of Tongzhou over the coming years.

The city is also seeking to cap its population at 23 million by 2020. More than 21.5 million people live in the city currently.