50 percent of the Chinese population will live in urban areas by 2010 with the figure expected to reach 60 percent by 2020, said Qiu Baoxing, vice minister of construction at an ongoing Shanghai international urbanization forum.

Qiu refuted claims that China's urbanization drive was too fast but admitted that its negative effects, including environmental problems, traffic congestion and inadequate social insurance for migrant workers, should be addressed.

"The three important yardsticks for judging if the urbanization drive is healthy are the level of protection of energy and other natural resources, respect for local history and culture and care for the low-income groups," Qiu was quoted by the First Financial Daily as saying.

Currently, 41 percent of Chinese live in urban areas, stated Shi Nan, secretary-general of the Urban Planning Society of China.

Shi added that urban areas can accommodate 50 percent of the population by 2010, if migrant distribution can be even among the country's 600 cities and 20,000 townships.

(Xinhua News Agency November 6, 2006)