China unveils urbanization plan for 2014-2020

　　BEIJING, March 16 (Xinhua) -- China on Sunday unveiled an urbanization plan for the 2014-2020 period in an effort to steer the country's urbanization onto a human-centered and environmentally friendly path.

　　Urbanization is the road that China must take in its modernization drive, and it serves as a strong engine for sustainable and healthy economic growth, according to the plan released by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, the country's cabinet.

　　"Domestic demand is the fundamental impetus for China's development, and the greatest potential for expanding domestic demand lies in urbanization," the plan said.

　　At present, the proportion of permanent urban residents to China's total population stands at 53.7 percent, lower than developed nations' average of 80 percent, and 60 percent for developing countries with similar per capita income levels as China.

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　　BEIJING, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's urbanization rate is expected to hit 60 percent by 2018 at the current rate of urbanization, according to a blue book released on Thursday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

　　China's urbanization rate will top 54 percent by the end of 2013, according to the book. Full story

　　BEIJING, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The greatest risk China faces in its historic modernization is the massive imbalance between urban and rural areas, according to the country's top agriculture official.

　　"The most important and difficult task is to resolve issues concerning agriculture, countryside and farmers ... to realize the agricultural modernization and the urbanization of most farmers," said Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Sunday. Full story