A senior official has said China would strive to develop townships to take in a 100 million surplus rural labor force, which will grow from 120 million to 180 million in the next two decades.

Xie Yang, deputy director of the Agricultural Department attached to the State Council Development Research Center addressed a senior seminar on rural employment held recently in the Chinese capital.

Xie suggested China restrict the increased number of new townships to no more than 450 a year. He also urged extending the area of each township from the present 0.3 square kilometers to one square kilometers on average.

Moreover, according to Xie, expanding the each square kilometer township space will require approximately 100 million yuan (12 million US dollars).