Transcript: Press conference on new urbanization plan

Beijing Times: I have another question concerning the issue of household registration. The Plan states that the population of megacities with more than five million residents should be strictly controlled. Does that mean those migrant workers who have left their hometown and earn a living in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou will not have a chance to have their hukou in those cities?

Huang Ming: That's a question that a lot of people are concerned about. I would suggest not using the expression "there's no chance". I would like to answer your question by making three points.

First, the need to strictly control the population of megacities with more than five million residents is determined by Chinese national conditions. China has a large population and the development of different areas is unbalanced. The megacities have big advantages and have attracted large migrant populations. Take Beijing as an example, from 2000 to 2012, the migrant population of the city increased by 5.17 million, about 430 thousand every year. During the same period, the migrant population of Shanghai increased 530 thousand every year, that of Guangzhou 430 thousand and that of Shenzhen 560 thousand. Therefore, the burdens of cities that suffer from resource shortages and environment deterioration need to be alleviated. Our household registration policy is in accordance with the Plan, which means the population of those cities should be under strict control and we will adhere to tight control.

Second, we have noticed that this year's local Two Sessions sent out an important signal about megacities such as Beijing and Shanghai: cities should define their functions in a scientific way, appropriately divert some functions to other places, and speed up industrial transformation and upgrading by transferring labor-intensive industries and optimizing the population structure. Therefore, strict control of the population is not only a part of the household registration policy. It is a result of comprehensive consideration and accompanied by many other measures, including guiding the population to move from the cities, to form a more rational urban population structure and facilitate the economic growth and social development of cities.

Third, megacities should strictly control their populations as well as reform and improve the current household registration system. We should help rural residents become urban citizens in an open, fair and orderly manner, using the points system to grant them access to urban social services step by step, and therefore properly control and adjust the scale and pace of the urban population expansion. Why am I against using the expression "no chance?" In my opinion, there are still chances. However, the chances (of becoming residents of megacities) will not be as big as those in other big cities, and medium and small cities in particular. If you want to realize your "urban dream" quickly, it is more realistic to move to the medium and small cities. If you choose the megacities, apart from earning credits, you should keep a positive attitude and be patient.

Xu Xianping: I agree with Vice Minister Huang. Cities with less than five million residents include provincial capitals, prefecture-level cities and county seats. Please notice that the Plan clearly states that cities and towns should draft and publish the specific criteria for rural residents to become urban citizens according to their own conditions, guiding the anticipation and selection of those who want to become urban residents.

Yang Zhiming: I'd like to add one thing. Migrant workers can earn their points by acquiring skills and participating in social insurance.

Guo Weimin: They may attend training. When the plan (for the household registration system) is released, we may have another press conference.

Huang Ming: We'll give detailed explanations on the reform of the household registration system after the approval from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council.