Social equality critical in urbanization process

Urbanization took place in the West from the late 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. China's urbanization is now taking place under totally different circumstances. Developed countries support their urbanization with capital, labor forces and raw materials from their colonies. The developing countries mostly resort to agriculture to support the development of their industries and urbanization. So the price of the labor force is kept low to reduce production costs. This unfairness should be controlled to prevent it from causing serious social problems, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

China should be vigilant to unfairness and the widening income gap in its urbanization process, of which population migration is a major part. In 2011, China's urbanization ratio surpassed 50 percent for the first time in history. China should draw lessons from South America and South Korea.

Urbanization in South America and South Korea reached its peak in the late 1970s and 1980s respectively. But South Korea pays more attention to transforming its industrial structure and filling the gap between rural and urban areas.

Both these two missions are urgent for China as well and concern the sustainability of China's development and social fairness. In this sense, there is still a long way to go for China's urbanization in the future.