The authorities will encourage more rural people to migrate to
cities, a senior official said in response to the annual report
released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
yesterday.
Hou Yan, a senior official with the National Development and
Reform Commission, said yesterday in Beijing that the government
was crafting policies to attract more rural people to cities.
"Our policy is not to delay the migration trend from rural
areas," she said.
She said the government is actively promoting the reform of the
hukou, or permanent residence, system to close the gap
between an agricultural and non-agricultural identity
registration.
According to the State of World Population Report 2007, released
yesterday by the UNFPA, China's urban population is projected to
increase from 560 million in 2005 to 910 million by 2030. Urban
people's share of the population is seen growing from 42 to 64
percent.
In 1980, less than 20 percent of the population lived in
cities.
Duan Chengrong, a professor at Renmin University of China, said
the flood of migration from rural areas is a legacy of the
government's efforts to restrict people's movements before
1980.
Bernard Coquelin, the UNFPA representative in China, said the
government should take steps now to prepare for the needs of future
city dwellers and ensure urbanization fulfils its promise of easing
poverty and preserving the environment.
"We can see that the government's urbanization policy has
included human development issues, and the challenge is to
implement the policy," he said.
(China Daily June 28, 2007)