The ancient Chinese capital of Xi'an, in northwestern Shaanxi Province, is planning to expand into one of China's biggest cities over the next decade, according to the local government's 10-year development plan, which was unveiled Wednesday.

By 2020, Xi'an and the neighboring Xianyang will integrate into a super city with more than 13 million residents, said a spokesman with a new committee for the integration.

The new metropolis will cover 9,036 square kilometers and its city proper will cover 1,280 square km, he said.

Xi'an had 8.4 million permanent residents at the end of 2008. Xianyang, about 25 km from the center of Xi'an, had 5 million.

The two cities ranked as the first and third biggest economies in Shaanxi Province, with last year's GDP hitting 272 billion yuan in Xianyang and 72.3 billion yuan in Xi'an.

The combined GDP of the greater Xi'an is expected to reach 1.2 trillion yuan by 2020.

The integration plan was based on the central government's blueprint to boost development in Shaanxi Province published in June 2009.

"It will revive the glory of the two ancient Chinese capitals, Xi'an and Xianyang," said Dr. Wang Xuedong, an official with Xi'an municipal development and reform commission.

When Qinshihuang, the first emperor of a united China, founded the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC, he chose Xianyang as the capital.

Xi'an, formerly known as "Chang'an," served as China's capital for 13 dynasties spanning more than 1,100 years.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), a period in which China's culture and economy flourished, the population topped 1 million in Xi'an.

"It was already an international metropolis then," said Wang, a specialist on urban economics. "More than 100,000 foreigners were living in Xi'an, including business people and scholars from Persia, Arabia, India and Japan."

Xi'an, a pivot on the ancient Silk Road, was also one of the leading world trade centers at the time, said Wang.

"We are building a modern international logistics center to restore some of the city's historic functions," said Mayor Chen Baogen.

The center would become the biggest logistic base in China's inland areas and serve diverse sectors, including manufacturing, foreign trade, high technology, energy, agriculture and tourism, said Chen.

On the megacity blueprint is also a highway network connecting Xi'an and Xianyang, and an extension of Xi'an's subway routes into Xianyang, he said.

"The metropolis will become a new engine to drive the all-round development of western China, and help the underdeveloped western regions merge into the global economy," said Shi Ying, vice president of Shaanxi Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

(Xinhua News Agency March 4, 2010)