Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing, said Monday that the municipal government would strive to shape up the structure of an international metropolis in the next five years, and develop the city into a modern international metropolis by 2020.
To this end, the local government will invest 180 billion yuan (US$21.6 billion) in infrastructure construction in the next five years, with public transportation as the focus, Liu said at the current meeting of the municipal people's congress, the city legislature.
The government will balance the development of different areas, with priority given to that of the southern part of the city and the outskirts, the mayor said. Areas with different functions, such as financial centers and traditional cultural centers, will be built in the urban area.
The city government will allocate at least 45 billion yuan in environmental protection so that air quality and water quality could reach national standards, Liu said.
The city will also renovate its three million square meters of old houses and build more than 40 million square meters of new residential areas by 2005, thus increasing the per capita living space to 18 square meters.
At the same time, the mayor said, intensified efforts will be made to protect cultural relics in the city.
(Xinhua 02/06/2001)
