And the latest plans disclosed by the municipal government look set to make it a pacesetter on the ecological front.

Announcing guidelines and a target date of 2020, Gao Dianying, vice-director of the Guangzhou Development Planning Commission, said: "The government requires development in all sectors such as infrastructure construction, industry, agriculture, information, transportation network and tourism to be in line with improvement of local ecosystem.

In order to secure the effective and efficient construction of the ecosystem, the municipal government will consult experts and environmentalists before making decisions.

Under the guidelines, the municipality, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, will direct its efforts at pursuing those aspects which are compatible between residents and nature and distribute resources appropriately.

A summary of the guideline details is as follows:

Set up a transport network in the city center area with expressways, but rail transportation sector will be predominant.

Complete the new Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, giving the city one global aviation center capable of handling 80 million passengers annually.

Build up "digital Guangzhou" based on the launching of a safe and high-speed backbone network.

Construct a clean city by using liquid natural gas (LNG) and liquid petroleum gas (LPG) as the main fuels.

Currently, the government is building five LNG stations to bring LNG into the city before 2005.

Curb increasing population numbers.

Taking into consideration the available amount of natural resources, the municipal government will restrict the number of permanent residents to below 15 million by 2020.

(China Daily March 13, 2003)