Urbanization a difficult balancing act

The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) approved early this month at the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC), sets the growth rate for urbanization at a moderate 4 percent by 2015. The goal is to enable 51.5 percent of the Chinese population to make their homes in cities by that time.

Under the same plan, regions are also to be set aside for agricultural development and for conservation. Thirty-eight large and medium-sized cities are designated for further expansion and will be consolidated into 21 urban centers.

While covering the group discussions among the NPC deputies, I detected some uneasiness among local officials. Many asked for clarification of the different development zones.