CRI听力:100 Million Farmers to be Urbanites: Official

An illustration shows that China plans to turn 100 million rural residents into registered urban residents in the years to come. [Photo: cqn.com.cn]

An official from China's top economic planning agency has revealed that China is planning to turn 100 million farmers into registered urban residents.

The measure is meant to encourage more people to buy real estate in cities so as to alleviate the massive housing glut.

Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, says the plan will be carried out from next year.

However, Xu has not specified when the plan would be completed.

China's housing market took a downturn since 2014 due to weak demand and oversupply.

The official re-evaluation comes as a national conference on urban development is held to underline the need to develop cities in a more people-oriented way.

It also promised more equality for migrant workers in urban areas.

In an attempt to focus more on urban problems and ways to solve them, this year's Urban Development Conference in Beijing has shifted its focus away from infrastructure construction towards proper urban development.

Those at the event say this is the first time in 37-years the focus of the annual session has not been on infrastructure building.

And for more on the conference, CRI's Zhan Yang spoke earlier with Victor Gao, Chairman of the China energy security Institute.