Urbanization quality is more important than speed

The government should prioritize the quality of urbanization, said an article in the Southern Metropolis Daily (excerpt bellows).

Research at Tsinghua University shows only 27.6 percent of the population have urban household registration. Yet, the National Development and Reform Commission indicates an urbanization rate of 52.57 percent.

The migrant population, nearly 300 million, live and work in cities without adequate education, medical care or pension provisions.

The government claims the urbanization rate has reached the average global level without mentioning the quality of the urbanization, which is exemplified by the data gap between the university's findings and the government's figure.

The government's figure is an important reference point for decision-makers to formulate relevant policies.

Providing citizen welfare for the migrant population and pensions for the aging urban population poses great challenges to the government's fiscal conditions.

The government should pay attention to training the migrant population and improving the quality of the labor force, which is crucial to promoting industrial development in the cities.