Beijing plans to control the size of its population and to have no more than 23 million people by 2020, said a national legislator and senior Beijing official on Friday.

全國人大代表、北京市常務副市長李士祥本周五透露，北京市將控制人口規模，到2020年，北京市人口將控制在2300萬。

Beijing municipal deputy mayor Li Shixiang, also a deputy to the nation's top legislature, revealed the figure during a group discussion at the ongoing "two sessions". It is the first time that the Chinese capital put forward a new target after its population grew much faster than expected.

李士祥在參加兩會北京代表團分組討論時透露了這一數字。這是在北京市人口規模增速超出預期后，首次提出的控制人口新目標。

In 2005, the State Council, or China's cabinet, set the goal of having a total of 18 million people for Beijing in 2020.

2005年，國務院制定的目標為2020年將北京市人口規模控制在1800萬人。

Currently, the city's population has surged to 21.54 million and the city will allow a small rise to no more than 21.8 million by the end of the year.

目前，北京市人口規模已上升至2154萬，北京市今年的控制目標為2180萬。

The targeted population of 23 million was calculated based on the capability of the city's water resources to support its residents, according to the deputy mayor, as the South-to-North Water Diversion project has not brought a fundamental change to improve the water shortage situation.

李士祥表示，2300萬是根據北京水資源承載能力算出來的。北京的缺水問題在南水北調后有所緩解，但不能根本解決問題，

Overcrowding has exacerbated the city's traffic and environmental problems.

人口過多也加劇了北京的交通和環境問題。

Premier Li Keqiang said in his report on the work of the government that the fight against "urban diseases", such as air pollution and traffic congestion, must be stepped up to improve people's living standards.

李克強總理在《政府工作報告》中提出，要加緊治理空氣污染和交通堵塞等“城市病”，改善人們的生活水平。

From 2014, the city began to relocate some of the businessmen in the wholesale markets near Dahongmen and Beijing Zoo to nearby cities in its neighboring Hebei province.

自2014年，北京市開始將大紅門和動物園批發市場的一些商貿人員疏解到附近的河北城市。

In the future, Beijing will continue to relocate industries viewed as unhealthy to its development and focus on its role as the country's capital, the vice-mayor said.

李士祥表示，未來北京還將繼續遷移一些不利于其發展的產業，聚焦于首都功能。

The city also plans to control its average level of PM2.5 at 60 micrograms in one cubic meter of air.

北京市還計劃將PM2.5的年均濃度控制在60微克/立方米左右。

Li said further efforts are needed to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area.

李士祥表示，還需要做出進一步努力來推進京津冀協同發展。

（中國日報網英語點津 Julie）