Chinese cities above 1 million people doubled to nearly 100

Beijing at night. [Photo: photofans.cn]

China now has almost 100 cities with populations greater than a million, according to the latest figures published by China Business Network (CBN).

The data provided by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development shows that, the number of cities with over 1 million residents has grown from only 37 in 1997, to around 90 today.

Some media, such as the UK's Guardian newspaper, have suggested that China has already reached the 100 mark. Experts say the discrepancy in the figures is down to different criteria for calculation.

Despite the pace of growth, Chinese cities are still regarded as less economically developed than elsewhere in the world where a population of over a million usually means a higher level of economic development.

In America, only 9 cities have over 1 million residents (New York, Los Angeles and Chicago being the top three). Apart from Washington DC, the political center, the rest are regarded as economic powerhouses for the country.

Comparable cities in China are seen as 'third tier' conurbations and provide far less of a contribution.

Middle-scale cities in developed countries with populations of several thousands are generally equipped with more than two rail transits, while many cities in China with more than 1 million residents still lack similar facilities.

A divergence between the South and North of China is also becoming more obvious.

The North, which was much more developed in the early 1990s has now fallen behind the South which has been developing rapidly as a result of the reform and the opening-up process, while the North, the old industrial base, now finds itself held back.

McKinsey & Company estimates that there will be more than 225 cities with more than 1 million residents in China by the year 2025, but CBN notes that it will be hard to achieve while China favors the further growth of first and second tier cities. The expansion of cities with over 3 million residents may well be seen, but not those less than 1 million.

Another problem that China faces is the unbalanced structure of metropolises and their surrounding cities, especially in central China. Compared with coastal provinces with twin cities (or even more) structures, most central provinces are constrained by their monopoly structure. More central cities are now called for under the trend of urbanization.

Central China's Hubei province, for instance, is now establishing two sub-center cities, Yichang and Xiangyang, to create a new structure of development together with the capital Wuhan.