By the end of 2003, China had a total of 338,050,000 urban residents, according to an annual report by the Ministry of Construction.

At the same time, China's urban area reached 399,000 sq km and the urban population density was 847 persons per sq km.

According to the report, during the year of 2003, China's city facilities rapidly developed and the urban environment improved.

"Cities' functions were strengthened, their capacities enhanced and urban residents' living conditions improved," said the report.

In 2003, China's fixed assets investment in cities by both central and local governments reached 446.2 billion yuan (about 54 billion US dollars), up 42.9 percent over the previous year.

Fixed assets investment for urban development accounted for 8.1 percent of the country's total fixed assets investment in 2003, up 0.9 percentage points over 2002.

In the same year, 8,935 km of new roads were added to Chinese cities, said the ministry.

(People's Daily  June 16, 2004)