China president vows to limit population growth of largest cities

Chinese President Xi Jinping today promised to impose strict limits on population growth in the country’s largest cities, state media reported, as authorities seek to push migration towards smaller urban centres.

Decades of rapid urbanisation in China have seen the proportion of its urban population swell to more than 50 per cent, creating massive conurbations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Authorities will “strictly control the size of the population in especially large cities”, Xi said at a meeting of a Communist Party policy group, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Migration in China has for decades been limited by the country’s “hukou,” household registration system, which denies countryside residents equal access to health, education and housing benefits when they move to cities.

But Xi said urban registration restrictions would be “fully liberalised” in towns and small cities, while relaxing restrictions in middle-sized cities.

The report did not provide a timeline for the implementation of the new measures, or details on how small and large cities are defined.

Reforms to the hukou system have long been opposed by local governments and urban residents reluctant to shoulder the costs of extra benefits for migrants.

China — the world’s most populous country — said the number of people living in cities exceeded the rural population for the first time in 2012. It aims for that number to reach more than 60 per cent by 2020.

The population of the capital Beijing reached more than 21 million at the end of last year, state media said, while the commercial hub Shanghai is reported to have more than 24 million residents.

– See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/china-president-vows-to-limit-population-growth-of-largest-cities#sthash.8TPHIQgG.dpuf

Chinese President Xi Jinping today promised to impose strict limits on population growth in the country’s largest cities, state media reported, as authorities seek to push migration towards smaller urban centres.

Decades of rapid urbanisation in China have seen the proportion of its urban population swell to more than 50 per cent, creating massive conurbations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Authorities will “strictly control the size of the population in especially large cities”, Xi said at a meeting of a Communist Party policy group, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Migration in China has for decades been limited by the country’s “hukou,” household registration system, which denies countryside residents equal access to health, education and housing benefits when they move to cities.

But Xi said urban registration restrictions would be “fully liberalised” in towns and small cities, while relaxing restrictions in middle-sized cities.

The report did not provide a timeline for the implementation of the new measures, or details on how small and large cities are defined.

Reforms to the hukou system have long been opposed by local governments and urban residents reluctant to shoulder the costs of extra benefits for migrants.

China — the world’s most populous country — said the number of people living in cities exceeded the rural population for the first time in 2012. It aims for that number to reach more than 60 per cent by 2020.

The population of the capital Beijing reached more than 21 million at the end of last year, state media said, while the commercial hub Shanghai is reported to have more than 24 million residents.

themalaymailonline.com

5 Comments on "China president vows to limit population growth of largest cities"

Hubert on Fri, 6th Jun 2014 9:11 pm 



China’s one child policy hasn’t even made a dent. They need to have a zero child policy.

Kenz300 on Sat, 7th Jun 2014 8:37 am 



Too many people…… too many problems……

PrestonSturges on Sat, 7th Jun 2014 11:54 pm 



Big military ambitions for a country that can’t live without international trade and which seems to consist entirely of big targets.

SL300 on Sun, 8th Jun 2014 9:04 am 



@Hubert
Well, the one child policy changed a lot.
Most people don’t know, but China had most newborns back in the year 1970. At this time the fertility rate was at 5.7 (witch is a lot).
Todays fertility rate is a little bit under 1.7. But because of the demographic distribution (the total amount of children isn’t going down as fast as it was going up before the max) the overall population is still growing. And yes, the people are getting older and older this also gives the impression of a growing population.
Btw. India had their maximum newborns around 2005 with a fertility rate of 2.8.
So that’s quite a difference.

SL300 on Sun, 8th Jun 2014 9:07 am 



And sorry for my bad english. It’s not my first language.