Fujian province will accelerate new urbanization in medium and small-sized cities and counties in 2015, according to Su Shulin on Jan 28.

Delegates of the 12th Fujian Provincial People's Congress attend the Congress's third session in Fuzhou on Jan 28. [Photo by Hu Meidong/China Daily]

In an annual government work report delivered at the 3rd session of the 12th Fujian Provincial People’s Congress, Su said the province will help more rural population to achieve legal urban residency qualification by pushing for hukou (or permanent residency permit) reforms and issuing more residence permits.

Development zones and industrial parks will build more public rental houses for rural-resident-turned laborers. Local authorities have also been urged to provide vocational training for them.

Fujian is now piloting urbanization in 46 towns and 15 small cities. Some of those towns and cities have been encouraged to join hands with their adjacent towns to achieve a common prosperity at a faster speed, said Su.

Official figures show that in 2014, Fujian created job opportunities for some 661,300 people in urban areas, improving the urbanization rate to 61.8 percent. A total of 424,000 rural laborers became urban employees.

While proceeding with the urban employment, local authorities are also urged to pay attention to protection of traditional villages and township with profound cultural backgrounds. They will strive to improve the public transportation and make an efficient use of urban lands.

Twenty-three financially-stretched counties will get financial and policy aids to cultivate their advantage industries, too.