President Xi called for the establishment of a foundation that will help the country hasten and deepen reforms for the first three years of the framework. (Photo : Getty Images)
The country's top leaders stated that China's next stage of reform will focus on urban development, according to a China Daily report.
The pledge, made at the Central Urban Work Conference concluded on Monday, aims to build more city clusters to give migrant workers the same rights enjoyed by their counterparts in the urban areas.
For Chinese leaders, social changes induced by urban policy are vital in their so-called "supply-side reforms" seen to drive continuous economic growth.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the leaders also expressed their optimism to make Chinese cities more "pleasant and livable" by providing better social and environment services.
The leaders also acknowledged that in order to fully achieve their goal, they must address pollution, which they consider as one of China's "urban malaises."
Under the new set of reforms, China will intensify its efforts to improve city clusters on the eastern coast while expanding new ones in central areas and building major regional hubs in the western part of the country.
The statement said that such strategy will help central and western region residents "share the fruits of urbanization."
"Once approved, urban development plans should be implemented consistently. New city leaders should not usher in a different development plan," the statement added, emphasizing that it is the government's task to "transform migrant workers into real urbanites."
"The growth of a city should be about the elevation of its quality, not expansion of boundaries," it further said.
The first of its kind in 37 years, the Central Urban Work Conference was presided over by President Xi Jinping.
