At a seminar for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank's Spring Conference, in Washington, DC, on April 11, participants heard the results of some joint research on China: promoting efficient, inclusive and sustainable urbanization, under central government guidance, from December 2012 to March 2014.

Organizers of the project were China's Ministry of Finance, Development Research Center of the State Council (DRC), and the World Bank. Taking part in the meeting were the DRC's Hou Yongzhi, two Finance Ministry researchers, and five other Chinese representatives.

The World Bank emphasized the impact of its work in cooperation with the DRC in recent years, and Jim Yong Kim, the bank's president, said that the joint research project, which was the idea of China's premier, Li Keqiang, will have a profound effect on Chinese urbanization and provide a good example for other countries.

At a symposium on emerging economies, the managing director of the World Bank, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, described two projects with the DRC - "China in 2030: building a modern, harmonious, creative society with higher incomes" and "China: promoting efficient, inclusive and sustainable urbanization" - flagship projects that can provide a lesson for other emerging economies.

Zou Jiayi, head of the Finance Ministry's International Dep't, said that the research results are a valuable resource for the Chinese government in making urbanization decisions, while Hou Yongzhi, director-general of the DRC’s Development Strategy and Regional Economy Dep't, explained the research background, organization, frame of mind and thoughts, and its main points.

The World Bank's country director for China, Mongolia and Korea Klaus Rohland remarked that, in spite of the many challenges in Chinese urbanization, the government is ready to deal with it and the research will have a positive effect.

Axel van Trotsenburg, East Asia and Pacific Regional vice-president of the World Bank, summarized the significance of the project and suggested that Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam do similar research.

Afterwards, the Chinese delegation's He Yupeng spoke with CCTV-America and other media. Chinese researchers also took part in symposiums and exchanged ideas with experts from the World Bank and NGOs.

At the emerging economies seminar, the World Bank suggested that, because of a more intimate relationship among East Asia nations in the economy and education, its economic development in the past 30 years has been far better than Latin America.

In a discussion on how to assess poverty-relief policies, some scholars said that poverty standards affects the assessment of poverty-relief results and that different standards result in a totally different understanding of poverty relief policy, which needs further consideration in developing economic and poverty relief.

The DRC also arranged a seminar in Beijing, on March 25, to explain the research outcome to experts and scholars from ministries, scientific research institutes, local governments and NGOs.