Population concerns have caused the Beijing Municipal Population and Family Planning Commission to submit an application to the municipal government to curb the talented people program.

Beijing Times reports Deng Xingzhou, the Director of the commission, announced the reasons for the application at a press conference on Thursday.

Talented people from all parts of China move to Beijing and receive permanent registration under the talented people program. But Deng says the program has contributed to such a significant population increase.

Beijing will struggle to keep its permanent population under 18 million people in 2020, as targeted in the Beijing City Overall Plan (2004-2020). However Deng pointed the increasing numbers of impermanent and transitory residents are retarding the progress towards the targets set in the plan.

He said the commission plans to strengthen efforts to prevent the permanent and transitory residents from increasing.

It has submitted an application to the relevant municipal government department to consider the motion.

(CRI January 26, 2007)