Shanghai caps 2020 population at 25 million

SHANGHAI -- Shanghai plans to cap its population at 25 million in 2020, according to the city's five-year plan unveiled on Wednesday.

The city had 24.26 million people by the end of 2014. The rising population has put huge pressure on the environment, infrastructure, public service and security, said an official in charge of drafting the plan.

The city will also restrict land use, giving only 60 square kilometers for new construction in the next five years, according to the plan.

Shanghai's land for construction had reached 3,124 square kilometers as of 2014, nearly half of the city's territory. The rate is much higher than its international peers like New York and Tokyo.

Making efficient use of the existing land and adjusting the use of the 850-square-kilometer land for industrial storage is the priority, said the official.

Doubts remain if Shanghai's five-year target can be achieved. Its last five-year plan (2006-2010) set the maximum resident population at 19 million, but statistics saw more than 23 million Shanghai residents in 2010.