The 7th Asia-Pacific City Summit kicked off on Tuesday in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to discuss problems in urban development.

Harmonious urban development is the main theme of the two-day conference, hosted by the municipal government of Urumqi.

The conference will also discuss topics such as social welfare, infrastructure construction and new urban development industries, according to the organizers.

Traffic jams, environmental pollution and aging populations, which are all problems in urban development, will also be discussed during the conference.

The summit has attracted more than 50 participants from 17 countries and agencies, including the Republic of Korea, Russia, Japan, Thailand, Tadzhikistan and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

The summit, which has been held every other year since 1994, aims to promote friendship and cooperation among cities in the region in order to solve urban problems. There are now 26 active city participants from 13 countries, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dalian and Urumqi on the Chinese mainland.

(Xinhua News Agency August 9, 2006)