The State Council mapped out a development plan for Xining, capital of Northwest China’s Qinghai province, in an official document published on Dec 18, underscoring the coordinated development of urban and rural areas.

In the document, the State Council approved a revised version of the overall plan (2001-20) for the development of Xining, and called for integrated planning and management of the 5,177 square kilometers of planning area designated in the overall plan.

It urged focusing on the development of counties and townships with good basic conditions, developing rural communities to encourage herdsmen to settle down, and promoting equal public services in urban and rural areas.

Highlighting the role of Xining as the capital of Qinghai province and a key city in the northwestern region, the State Council called on the local government to strengthen cooperation with neighboring city Haidong.

It also called for reasonable control of the city’s size. By 2020, the permanent resident population in the central urban area should be kept within 1.43 million, and urban land used for construction should be within 140 square kilometers, said the document.

It added that intercity transportation infrastructure should be further improved so that Xining can play a pivotal role in linking western border areas, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and inland areas.

The State Council also urged building Xining into a resource-conserving and environment-friendly city, by shutting down outdated production facilities, controlling emission of pollutants and promoting green buildings.

Protection of historic culture and characteristic landscape is also underlined in the document. It calls for preservation of historical and cultural heritages as well as areas and buildings, particularly Ta’er Lamasery and other cultural relics.