The new Party chief from Cangzhou city is mulling developing coastal areas to boost the regional economy and reduce environmental pressure on the city.

After leaving his post as the city's mayor, Jiao Yanlong was given an ambitious task: turn Cangzhou's Bohai development zone into an emerging growth area for North China's Hebei province in the next five to 10 years.

The development zone, established in 2007, covers 2,400 square kilometers, with a coastline of 130 km and a population of nearly 600,000.