The local government of Zhuhai, a special economic zone in south
China's Guangdong
Province, is raising about 100 million yuan (US$12.1 million)
to subside farmers who lose their land for the city's urbanization
drive a decade ago but failed to enjoy social welfare
services.
Chen Yihuo, Party head of the city's Tangwan Town, is dashing about
for the purpose. "Farmers have had their land appropriated, but
haven't enjoyed the same treatment as for an urbanite yet," he
said, adding that the situation must be changed.
This is an epitome of China's accelerating urbanization
drive.
Many areas in China are being challenged by an unreasonable land
allocation system, limited supply of urban jobs, default of
payments for migrant workers and establishment of a social security
system for the group, as the economic growth and urban construction
have gained momentum, according to Wang Qishan, mayor of
Beijing.
How to realize a concerted development of urban and rural areas has
become one of the top concerns of mayors of 661 cities across
China, said Wang, also chairman of China's Association of Mayors,
in a letter to a mayors' forum held early November in Guangzhou,
capital city of Guangdong.
Last year, China recorded an urbanization rate of 40 percent. The
nation has 130 million farmers leave their land, including 90
million who live in cities and towns, said Construction Minister
Wang Guangtao at the forum.
However, the urbanization rate is still far below the 70-percent
level for the developed nations, or 10 percentage points lower than
developing countries of the same economic development standards,
according to Long Yongtu, general-secretary of Boao Forum for Asia,
a high-profile think tank for problems in the regional cooperation
of Asia.
Moreover, in the urbanization process, land was urbanized faster
than people were in China, causing numerous farmers to lose means
to make a living.
Labor forces that migrated from rural to urban areas failed to
enjoy the same public entitlements and services as urban citizens
did, according to Yang Weimin, head of the planning department of
the State Development and Reform Commission.
Working in a city, a farmer should become an urban taxpayer and
should enjoy a citizen's treatment and join community in the city,"
Wang Guangtao said. "China should not expand cities by depriving of
farmers' interests," he added.
Therefore, Wang said, it is imperative for his ministry to improve
formulation of urban and rural development master plans. In the
process, importance should be attached to the protection and
reasonable use of various resources, Wang added.
(Xinhua News Agency November 11, 2004)