(ECNS) -- Peking University has vowed to fully support the Xiongan New Area, a new economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, including opening a medical center to train high-level professionals.

The move was disclosed after Zhao Kezhi, Party chief of Hebei province, and provincial governor Xu Qin held talks with the prestigious university's Party chief Hao Ping.

Hao said the university will take advantage of its strengths in medical and educational training to support Xiongan's growth. The university will also make it a priority to encourage more professionals to work in Hebei.

Among other measures, the university's Guanghua School of Management will establish a training center in Xiongan for business and management talents. It will also work with governmental departments to launch Public-Private Partnership programs for Xiongan's development.

On April 1, China announced the plan to create the Xiongan New Area, which spans the counties of Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin in Hebei Province, and is home to Baiyangdian, a major wetland in northern China.

The new area will cover around 100 square km initially and be expanded to 200 square kilometers in the mid-term and about 2,000 square km in the long term.