The recently announced plan to control Shanghai's population will probably be copied in other Chinese metropolises.
The State Council approved on Monday a plan to limit Shanghai's population to 25 million by 2035. Data from Shanghai Population Data Analysis showed that Shanghai had a population of 24.19 million at the end of 2016.
"The 25 million target can be achieved by 2035. Beijing has already begun its population control process, and that's just a start. Major cities such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen will join in sooner or later," said Dong Liming, an expert in urban planning with Peking University.
Zhang Gui, executive director of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Development Research Center, said that "the ultimate way of achieving population control is to develop city clusters centered around Shanghai. Nearby cities such as Suzhou and Wuxi will then share the population."
"Shanghai may suffer for now, but it will upgrade its industrial level in the long run," Zhang Gui said.
As measures to tackle "big city disease," limiting land made available for construction, protecting the natural environment and maintaining city safety are also listed in the plan.
The city also aims to construct a metropolitan region of international influence by 2035.
