A report on core issues concerning city development during the 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006-2010) was published on September 15 by the Beijing International City Development Institute, being the first of its kind in China.

The five to ten years to come will be a critical period for Chinese cities to transform from a lower to higher level, from ordinary to unique ones, and from tactical to strategic ones, said Lian Yuming, president of the institute at the "Beijing Summit of 2004 China Cities Forum" opened Wednesday in Beijing. Therefore, we must set central strategic thought and overall layout for cities from a medium and long range of view, focus on expanding city functions, improving city images and raising city competitiveness and build up city value chains, said Lian.

The report gave an overall review of China's achievements in city development and existing problems during the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-05), and made in-depth study on major theoretical and practical questions in the fields of city development strategy and city management in the "strategic opportunity period" in coming two decades, and fully expounded developing strategies for cities in western, central and eastern China.

By People's Daily Online