Beijing to cap population at 23 million by 2020

Beijing will cap its population at 23 million by 2020 by relocating people and industries from the Chinese capital to suburban areas as increasing population adds pressure on water resources and traffic congestion, officials said on Sunday.

In the next five years, the sprawling city of over 21 million people will continue to relocate population from central areas to suburban areas, mayor Wang Anshun said.

The permanent population of the central areas will drop by 15 per cent from 2014, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The city will cap its population at 23 million by 2020, officials said at the annual local “two sessions” which refer to meetings of the Municipal People’s Congress, the local legislature and the Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a local political advisory body.

The population ceilings have been made according to the maximum capacity of resources such as water, sources said.

Beijing has seen slower population growth in recent years due to the efforts in adjustment of city functions and relocation of relevant industries.

In 2015, Beijing had 21.7 million permanent residents and it aims at limiting its population within 22 million in 2016. In the past, Beijing has repeatedly failed its population control targets.