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The coordination and stability of the regional economy (RE) and ecological quality (EQ) are essential for the synergistic development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration (BTH). In this paper, based on remote sensing data and economic statistics data, this paper analysed the current situation and evolution of the RE and EQ in the BTH region. Based on the coupled coordination degree (CCD) model, this paper has developed an evaluative framework and quantifies the spatiotemporal coupled coordination of the RE and EQ in the BTH region from 2000 to 2020. The results show that: (1) in 2020, the GDP of the poverty-stricken counties (PSCs) around BTH accounted for 4.57% of the total BTH region, and the area of high-quality ecosystems, Net Primary Productivity (NPP), soil conservation, water conservation, and sand fixation accounted for more than 40% of the total BTH region; (2) the GDP growth of the PSCs accounted for 4.45% of the total growth in BTH, the reduced area of high-quality ecosystems accounted for 21.04%, and the increase in NPP, soil conservation, water conservation, and sand fixation accounted for more than 40% of the total growth in the BTH region; (3) the CCD of the RE and EQ in the BTH region showed a tendency to increase, but the gap between the regions gradually expanded, and the development type changed from a lagging RE to a lagging EQ, in which the coupled coordination grade of the PSCs was in a dissonance stage for a long time, and the level of economic development had to improve. Deepening the understanding of the spatiotemporal coupling relationship between the RE and EQ and adopting appropriate development policies is of great significance for achieving the coordinated and integrated development of the BTH region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the accelerating urbanization process in China, the extensive economic growth model with high energy consumption and high pollution aggravates atmospheric environmental pollution and restricts the sustainable development of the social economy. The Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region has the most severe haze pollution and the most acute contradiction between resources, environment and economic development. Based on the physical coupling theory, this paper constructs a coupling coordination degree model of the economy, environment and high haze pollution industries, such as the thermal power industry. Through literature analysis and expert investigation of the economic, industrial and environmental data of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region from 2006 to 2018, the coordinated development of the economy, environment and high haze pollution industries, such as the thermal power industry, in the above region, was dynamically monitored. The monitoring results show that the development level of the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region is significantly different, and the three subregions have not entered the stage of coordinated development. Moreover, since 2015, they have been in a bottleneck period of development and have not achieved a higher level of progress. The three subregions have different advantages and restraining factors. For example, the backward level of Hebei's economy and high haze pollution industries, such as the thermal power industry, restrict the coordinated development of the region as a whole. Only by accelerating the high-quality development of the Hebei economy can we break through the bottleneck of the development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two global cities of China, Beijing and Shanghai, have completely different development statuses with their hinterlands. There is a large economic development gap between Beijing and its hinterland, Hebei Province, while Shanghai has formed a highly integrated region with its hinterland, the Yangtze River Delta. According to the Outline of Collaborative Development of Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Province, enterprise linkages between Beijing and Hebei should be strengthened in order to narrow the economic gap between the center and the hinterland. On this basis, this paper proposes two hypotheses. (1) The economic gap between Beijing and Hebei has not really changed, because more enterprise linkages of Beijing are nonlocal. (2) The gradual narrowing of the economic gap between Shanghai and Jiangsu as well as Zhejiang is due to the fact that more enterprise linkages of Shanghai are local. We have used enterprise data on business registration from the State Administration for Industry and Commerce of China and have selected two indicators, namely, the number of headquarters-branches offices and the amount of enterprise investment, to examine the enterprise linkages between Beijing/Shanghai and their hinterlands as well as the hinterworld, and have verified these two hypotheses. The results show that nonlocal enterprise linkages based on the hinterworld are the main form in Beijing, while local enterprise linkages based on the hinterland are the main form in Shanghai. In addition, we have analyzed the mechanisms of formation of the enterprises linkages of the two cities and have put forward some policy suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-quality economic development is an innovation-driven economy, and collaborative innovation is key to maximizing its effects. In terms of the influence of cooperative innovation of urban agglomerations on high-quality economic development, urban agglomerations are of considerable relevance to the coordinated development of China's regional economy. This research established an evaluation system of high-quality economic development indicators for the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration based on panel data of 13 cities from 2003 to 2020, and then estimated the level of high-quality development of each city's economy. The spatial Durbin model was used in this article to examine the effects of collaborative innovation on the high-quality development of the economy. The findings indicated that, although high-quality economic development was increasing across the board in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, it varied greatly between the individual cities. Beijing and Tianjin had much higher levels of high-quality economic development than the other cities in Hebei, and there was some variation within the Hebei cities as well. The high-quality economic development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration exhibited no spatial correlation characteristics under the weight of geographical distance. However, there was an aggregation effect on the differential relationship of economic development, which was also significant under the dual influence of economic geography. The collaborative innovation of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration could promote the high-quality economic development of both the inner and surrounding cities, and could also improve the high-quality economy development level of the overall urban agglomeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]