(Yicai Global) Sept. 28 -- Hebei Xiong'an New Area Management Committee has greenlit the first group of companies to operate in the region, including e-commerce giants Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. [NYSE:BABA] and JD.com Inc. [NASDAQ:JD], internet and gaming stalwart Tencent Holdings Ltd. [HKG:0700] and major tech firm and search provider Baidu Inc. [NASDAQ:BIDU].

Of the 48 companies approved, nine have already acquired business licenses, including a Tencent subsidiary.

All of the companies approved are high-tech firms or those that provide high-end services, comprising 15 modern financial services firms, 14 high-tech enterprises, seven high-end technology research institutes, five green tech companies and seven other service providers, local news outlet Hebei News reported on Sept. 28.

Of the companies, 19 are central state-owned enterprises and 21 are private. The report did not mention the ownership status of the remaining firms. Beijing-based firms make up the bulk of the bunch, with 24 companies, while 13 are based in southern tech hub Shenzhen.