China has relocated a total of more than 15 million residents for about 80,000 reservoir projects it has built since 1949, said Wang Shucheng, Minister of Water Resources.

The minister said China has properly handled the resettlement issues due to the efforts by the Chinese government and the country's actual conditions. Many reservoirs in China are located in mountainous areas, where local residents were quite poor before resettlement and supported migration, he said.

Resettlement for reservoir projects has created opportunities for local residents to get rid of poverty, said the minister. China has invited officials from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank to inspect the relocation programs of residents for reservoir construction projects.

The minister said China took various measures including establishment of special organizations and the Chongqing Municipality directly under the central government to help 1.1 million residents in Three Gorges Reservoir areas to make way for the world's biggest Three Gorges dam project under construction.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2004)