Universal Parks & Resorts said it would open a $3.3 billion, 300-acre theme park in Beijing. This will promote the development of China’s tourism.

After 13 years of negotiations and planning, Universal Parks & Resorts said Monday it would open a $3.3 billion, 300-acre theme park in Beijing. The company and its Chinese partners did not set an opening date, but state-run media said the complex would debut in 2019.

The long-rumored park will be among the company's largest and include the same kind of movie-themed attractions featured at Universal parks in Los Angeles, Orlando, Japan and Singapore. It will include attractions specifically created for China and plans also call for a Universal CityWalk retail-dining-and-entertainment complex as well as a "first-ever" Universal-themed resort hotel.

The park is to be located in an eastern suburb called Tongzhou. Additional phases could see the complex expand to 1,000 acres.

The park's Chinese partner, Beijing Shouhuan Cultural Tourism Investment Co. Ltd., which was formed in 2013, completed a $300 million deal for the land in March, Chinese media reported.

The park will be jointly owned by Beijing Shouhuan, which is a consortium of four Chinese state-owned companies, and Universal Parks & Resorts.

Universal Parks & Resorts, a division of NBC Universal, signed an agreement to develop the Beijing park in December of last year, the state-run Beijing News said, and the National Development and Reform Commission, which approves such projects, signed off on the plans last month.

Tom Williams, chairman and chief executive of Universal Parks & Resorts, said the Beijing park would showcase some of the best themed attractions to be found anywhere. "We will work together [with Shouhuan] to create experiences based on China's best-loved stories and centuries-long rich cultural heritage," he added.

Asked specifically what "Chinese elements" the park would include, Williams refused to offer specifics but said the company had already conducted "extensive research" on this matter and said the park would "pay proper respect and homage to Beijing" and Chinese culture overall.

Williams would not detail what marquee attractions the Beijing park would include either, but rides based on the "Transformers" franchise and the "Despicable Me" series as well as "Harry Potter" seem likely candidates based on those films' popularity in China. The fourth installment in the Transformers series, "Transformers: Age of Extinction," became the top grossing film ever in China this year.

"China remains a vital part of our company's film business," added Williams, noting that Universal Pictures is also about to open a film office in Beijing that would focus on movies, including more co-productions with Chinese partners.