City clusters need coordinated approaches

City clusters, an important conduit for high-quality development, need more implementation, rather than master plans, said experts.

The switch from building cities to city clusters are the natural and inevitable progress of industrialization and urbanization, and city clusters are key to high quality development, they said at a recent forum.

"China's regional leaders have long become aware that city clusters will play a vital role in regional and even the whole country's development," said Han Yongwen, vice-president of China Center for International Economic Exchanges. "According to the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), the country is planning to set up 19 city clusters, accounting for 22 percent of the country's total size, 54 percent of the national population and 75 percent of the national GDP."