Beijing: In a grim warning against rapid urbanisation in China, a top development official has said that reckless expansion of cities has turned many of them into ghost towns with no occupants in sight.
Qiao Runling, deputy director of the China Centre for Urban Development, said local governments had relied on quick urbanisation to stimulate economic growth and generate fiscal revenue.
"Nearly every big or medium-sized city across China has plans to erect a new town," Qiao said.
New towns are usually bigger than old ones and thus many are left empty as a result, he said at a forum on urban development in Jiangxi Province.
"China now has an oversupply of cities, given the number of new urban districts that we have," Qiao said, adding that the excess of new urban districts are especially serious in medium and small-sized cities in central and western parts of the country.
State-run broadcaster CCTV recently carried a report showing two such "ghost cities" with massive apartment and commercial complexes with no occupants, leaving local governments in deep debts.
Official statistics showed that land used for urban construction rose by 83.41 per cent from 2000 to 2010, while the urban population saw an increase of 45.12 per cent in the period, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
China, a predominantly rural society, has rapidly urbanised in the past decades with urban people now forming over 50 per cent of the population.
Qiao Runling, deputy director of the China Centre for Urban Development, said local governments had relied on quick urbanisation to stimulate economic growth and generate fiscal revenue.
"Nearly every big or medium-sized city across China has plans to erect a new town," Qiao said.
"China now has an oversupply of cities, given the number of new urban districts that we have," Qiao said, adding that the excess of new urban districts are especially serious in medium and small-sized cities in central and western parts of the country.
Advertisement
Official statistics showed that land used for urban construction rose by 83.41 per cent from 2000 to 2010, while the urban population saw an increase of 45.12 per cent in the period, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Did A Massive Dam In China Alter Earth's Rotation? The Truth Behind Viral Claim China Can't Defeat US If We Revive "American Dream": Vivek Ramaswamy 16 Killed, 30 Rescued After Fire At China Shopping Centre: Report World's Largest Isolated Tribe Makes Rare Appearance In New Footage 4 Passengers Die As 12 Coaches Of Chandigarh-Dibrugarh Express Derail In UP Why BJP Lost Lok Sabha Polls In Uttar Pradesh - 6 Reasons In Party Report Woman Dies After Jumping Off Elevated Platform At Delhi Metro Station: Cops No Coercive Action Against Delhi-NCR Home Buyers Over EMI: Supreme Court 60 Rare Siamese Crocodiles Hatch In Cambodia In A Conservation Win Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.