In a circular issued on Feb 6, the State Council agreed, in principle, on a plan for the development of Zhuhai from 2001 to 2020, which was revised recently, and submitted to the State Council by Guangdong Provincial Government.

Zhuhai is a city in Guangdong province.

The State Council asked Guangdong province to:

1. Keep improving the city’s competitiveness and its ability to develop sustainable growth.

2. Emphasize balancing urban and rural development.

3. Ensure Zhuhai grows at a reasonable scale. By 2020, the number of residents in downtown Zhuhai should be under 1.05 million, and the area of land used to sustain urban development, such as land taken up by infrastructure and transportation, should be under 105 square kilometers.

4. Improve Zhuhai’s infrastructure, including transportation, running water, sewage, garbage disposal and the disaster-response system. Guangdong province should make sure the city has adequate land for infrastructure.

5. Make Zhuhai an energy conservation city and more environmentally friendly. The city should strictly control the amount of pollutants discharged, improve efficiency in the treatment of sewage and garbage, and achieve all the goals concerning environmental protection set by the general plan.

6. Construct infrastructure and provide public services — including education and medical services — according to the population and the distribution of the city’s residents.

7. Ensure the preservation of traditional buildings in the city, including places of historical interest.

8. Fully carry out the general plan.