China to release human-centered urbanization plan

BEIJING - China has completed a national plan on urbanization, and is expected to publish it soon, the China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday.

The plan, which has gone through amendments and been submitted to top authorities for approval, will specify targets, focuses and measures for "human-centered" urbanization, according to the report.

The journal quoted an anonymous source close to the plan as saying that it will lower barriers for the country's 230 million migrant workers and 70 million non-local urbanites to settle in their home cities.

An urbanization conference in mid-December promised to remove restrictions on hukou, or household registration, in towns and small cities, gradually ease restrictions in medium cities, and set reasonable conditions for settling in big cities.

China's rigid hukou system has prevented migrants from gaining equal access to services in cities, posing a major barrier holding back the country's urbanization process.

The conference held closed-door discussions on a draft of the urbanization plan, which was seen as a guideline for the country's next urbanization moves.

To help cope with the financial burdens caused by a possible influx of migrant workers and non-local urbanites, the plan asked central and local governments, enterprises, and individuals to share the cost.

In addition, China will also gradually nurture several city clusters in the country's middle and southwestern regions and middle reaches of the Yangtze River, according to the plan.