国内英语新闻:Political advisor calls for tolerance as Beijing vows to control population growth

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Beijing should be tolerant and open-minded toward migrants as it tries to manage its fast-growing population in the next five years, said a Beijing political advisor responding to a government plan to limit the city's population.

Excessive growth of Beijing's population, partly as a result of the influx of migrants, has brought tremendous pressure on the environment and resources, said Wu Yongping, a member of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Sunday.

But migrant population also made great contributions to the capital city's development, said Wu, also deputy director with the School of Public Policy and Management, Tsinghua University,.

"Beijing, as a city belonging to the people of the whole country, should have the quality of openness," Wu told a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC.

Also, Beijing should open to the entire world as only a tolerant and open-minded city could maintain its momentum of sustainable development, Wu said.

Wu's remarks came in response to a draft development plan submitted Sunday to the annual session of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the local legislature.

According to the draft plan, Beijing will rein in the "unordered and excessive" growth of its population during the next five years.

By the end of 2009, Beijing's population had reached nearly 20 million, far exceeding the State Council-ratified target of controlling the population to within 18 million by the year 2020.