Beijing to See a Population of Over 16 Million in 2008

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, October 20, 2002

Beijing to See a Population of Over 16 Million in 2008

The 9th Standing Committee of the CPPCC Standing Committee of Beijing Municipality last week passed a survey report on the overall plan for the city's 10-year implementation. Many proposals putting forward concerning such problems as the fast population expansion, the over-booming of non-natives, the ineffectiveness in controlling the general scale of the land for construction, as well as the slow progress of the central area's functions and the population evacuation.

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Population to exceed 16 million

According to the city bureau of statistics last year, the non-inhabitants with over half a year's residence hit 2.63 million throughout Beijing, topping the total scale defined in the overall plan to 2010. The fast increase of non-inhabitants has led to the rapid expansion of Beijing's whole population, intensified the burden on the resources environment and brought along tension to the employment, traffic and infrastructure. Meanwhile, junctures of urban and rural areas, where densely populated by migrants, have witnessed problems deteriorating in housing, education, environment and public order. Based on a statistics, Beijing's permanent citizens last year surpassed 13.67 million. And the city bureau of statistics also forecasted that by 2008 Beijing's permanent residents will go beyond 16 million.

New problem

The current registered residence system also reflects some problems, which call for an urgent solution. To begin with, administration on the migrant shows policy conflicts and too many authorities. Due to intellectual introduction and policies as such in capital, recent years have witnessed a rebound of population movement. And last year Beijing's whole population increased by 0.12 million. In addition, the separation of citizens from registered residence becomes increasingly conspicuous. In the past 10 years, though transformation of unsafe and shabby buildings and process of housing commercialization have been sped up, yet due to inappropriate policy, measures and management, large number of citizens has been separated from registered residence, the end of last year seeing a city's total come to 1.6 million.

Evacuation from the old city

The report also pointed out that, because the adjustment of unsafe and shabby buildings and that the industrial structure is not closely matched with the population evacuation and the optimization of city functions, it has caused heavy pressure on traffic and environment, whereas the evacuation project has seen little headway.

Functions of edging groups

In accordance with the overall plan, the focus of development has shifted to different edging groups from the central area. However, functions of these groups remain very simple. Since larger part of groups' construction is aimed at building economic but comfortable apartments and developing real estates, not enough attention has been given to the industry development with relevant supportive facilities that lag far behind. And citizens around have to get jobs in the central area, thus giving rise to new problems of employment and education as well as of traffic burdens.

By PD Online Staff Zhu Lizhen

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