HAIKOU /China/, June 7. /TASS/. The level of urbanization in the southern Chinese province of Hainan will reach 65% by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). This is stated in the Hainan province's urbanization plan for the 14th Five-Year Plan published by the provincial Development and Reform Commission.
According to the document, in 2020 the urbanization rate based on the number of permanent residents in cities of Hainan was 60.3%. The total population of the island is 10.2 million people. It is noted that by 2025 the number of people employed in cities will increase by 750 thousand. In addition, the province intends to attract at least 50 thousand highly qualified specialists.
To reach this goal, the government wants to promote urban development on the island, improve working conditions in communities, encourage people to move from rural to urban areas and close the wage gap between urban and rural areas. It is also planned to promote innovative and green urban development and to improve the living conditions of the population.
As for the long-term perspective, the level of urbanization in the province will reach 75% by 2035, the document states.
On June 1, 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council of China published a program on the establishment of a free trade port in Hainan. The document provides for a special customs zone on this tropical island. The PRC authorities plan to complete the construction of the free port on the territory of the province in 2025, at which point the island should have a system of free trade and investment. By 2035, Hainan is expected to have free trade and investment, cross-border capital flows, travel, and freight transportation.