China's State Council has approved the upgrade of the Hebei Xiong'an high-tech industrial development zone to a national-level high-tech industrial development zone, according to an official statement released on Friday.

The upgraded zone, located in the Xiong'an New Area of North China's Hebei province, will cover two sections spanning 20.84 square kilometers, the statement said.

The zone will adhere to the principle of "developing high technology and achieving industrialization" and prioritize the development of new-quality productive forces tailored to local conditions.

It will promote deeper integration of scientific and technological innovation with industrial development and attract high-end innovation resources from both home and abroad.

The statement also calls for the zone to actively carry out research and development cooperation on major sci-tech projects, accelerate breakthroughs in key core technologies in priority areas, and speed up the efficient transformation and application of sci-tech achievements.

In addition, efforts will be made to strengthen leading industries, make forward-looking plans for emerging sectors, deepen institutional reform, and advance high-level opening-up.

The goal is to establish the zone as a crucial source of independent and original innovation, as well as a world-class cluster for high-end and high-tech industries, supporting Xiong'an's high-standard and high-quality construction as a modern city and better serving the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

The Xiong'an New Area, established in April 2017 as part of the national strategy to advance coordinated development in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, has been positioned to take over functions non-essential to Beijing's role as the capital.