Beijing will continue increasing efforts this year to alleviate its "big city diseases", including pollution and traffic congestion, by removing enterprises and markets with noncapital functions, the capital’s authorities said Friday.

The government has promised to shut down 500 manufacturing companies at the opening of the first session of the 15th Beijing Municipal People’s Congress on Wednesday.

"While pushing our current closure and removal of low-end companies in the city, we’ll update a list of enterprises and markets that are not suitable for Beijing’s development this year at the same time," said Liu Bozheng, deputy head of the Beijing Development and Reform Commission.
"Besides, we’ll also ban an increase of such low-end companies," he said.

He made the remarks during the news conference for the congress on Friday, adding the shutdowns and removals aim to improve the capital’s high-quality growth and alleviate its "big city diseases".

Yang Xiuling, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, echoed him, saying all the moves are being conducted in order and by rule of law.

"How to settle employees in low-end companies and ensure the enterprises’ future developments are difficulties in our work, but we always take the removal’s legality and people’s safety as priorities," she said.

"Lands that the demolished companies occupied will be used to establish small parks or care centers, in a bid to provide a better environment for residents and beautify the city," she added.