The 2023 Beijing CBD Forum kicked off on Tuesday with announcements of projects to attract foreign investment and improve the business environment, in a bid to further enhance its competitiveness among global business centers.

The forum unveiled projects with a focus on attracting international and private enterprises' head offices to the CBD, as well as the construction plan of the Jinzhan International Cooperation Service Zone located in the northeast of Beijing's Chaoyang district to facilitate foreign investment and business cooperation.

This year 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing CBD. "In the past three decades, the Beijing CBD's vitality not only reflected China's opening-up policy, but also the high-quality opening-up in the new era, and the spirit of China's willingness of providing the world with new opportunities," said Fang Jiangshan, a deputy editor-in-chief of People's Daily, during the opening ceremony of the forum.

Liu Yuhui, a vice mayor of Beijing, said during the opening ceremony that the Beijing CBD is the front line and window of the capital city's opening-up and international communication.

"The Beijing municipal government and relevant departments have been firmly supporting the development of the CBD. In the future, we will continue to enhance its global connectivity and build it into a successful example for the capital," he said.

The Beijing CBD is home to more than 10,000 foreign enterprises. In the first half of 2023, the number of international enterprises' regional head offices in the area reached 110, accounting half of the total number in Beijing.

During the period, tax payments across Beijing's CBD surpassed 70 billion yuan ($9.59 billion), up 20 percent year-on-year. The number of newly registered entities reached nearly 7,000, up 20 percent year-on-year, said the Beijing Central Business District Administration Committee.