Beijing's Haidian district is aiming to top a GDP of 2 trillion yuan ($298 billion) by 2030, according to Xu Xinchao, head of the district, who spoke at a recent news conference to outline a high-tech-driven push that includes 100 projects and a dominant foothold in the capital's artificial intelligence sector.

Haidian is already one of the largest districts in China by GDP. According to Xu, the district's annual GDP surpassed 1 trillion yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), making it the first district-level area in China to achieve the milestone. The district showed an annual GDP growth rate of 6.4 percent during the period, and by 2025, had reached a GDP of 1.37 trillion yuan, accounting for 26.3 percent of the city's total.

To continue the trend, Haidian has ambitious plans to implement 100 projects driven by high-tech sectors. By 2030, the goal is to establish an additional three to five industrial clusters, each valued at over 100 billion yuan. These efforts aim to create world-class industrial clusters with global technological leadership and core competitiveness, positioning the district as a global hub for AI innovation and industrial development.

"The district aims to accelerate the development of new quality productive forces and build a world-leading technology park, positioning itself as a pioneer in the capital's efforts to achieve socialist modernization ahead of schedule," Xu said.