ASIA / PACIFIC
May 2, 2016
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5
Nepal marks anniversary
of devastating earthquake
URBAN MAJORITY. A Chinese woman poses for photos with mon-
key sculptures outside a shopping mall in Beijing. China is increasingly
becoming a nation of town and city dwellers, with more than 55 percent
now living in urban areas, according to the government. (AP Photo/Ng
Han Guan)
More than 55 percent of
Chinese now live in urban areas
BEIJING (AP) — China is increasingly becoming a
nation of town and city dwellers, with more than 55
percent now living in urban areas, according to the
government.
China’s transformation to a predominantly urban
society is key to realizing the government’s goals of
boosting consumption and raising living standards amid
slowing economic growth.
China’s vast countryside has lagged far behind urban
areas in income growth, public services, and job creation,
prompting millions of Chinese to move to the cities. With
public services in major urban areas such as Beijing,
Shanghai, and Guangzhou now strained almost to the
limit, China is attempting to steer urban growth toward
smaller cities with more space to expand.
According to the website of the National Bureau of
Statistics, 55.88 percent of the population was urban in
2015, standing at 767.5 million out of a total estimated
population of 1.373 billion. As recently as 2010, just 49.68
percent of the population lived in cities and towns, the
bureau said.
While the overall population has grown by a relatively
small 40 million in the past five years, the proportion age
59 or under has fallen slightly while the percentage of
those 60 or over has grown by 2.89 percent to make up
16.15 percent of the population. That is slightly smaller
than the 16.52 percent of the population age 14 and under.
That aging trend is set to continue as China’s
population heads toward its estimated peak of 1.45 billion
sometime around 2050, by which time the United Nations
estimates the world’s population will reach 9.6 billion.
The bureau’s data also showed that China already has
34 million more men than women, a gap that’s expected to
widen as a result of the traditional preference for male
children and the aborting of female fetuses.
KATHMANDU, Nepal
(AP)
—
Government
officials, diplomats, and
ordinary people gathered
at the remains of a fallen
iconic
tower
in
the
Nepalese capital to mark
the anniversary of a
devastating
earthquake
that killed thousands and
injured many more in the
Himalayan nation.
Prime Minister Khadga
Prasad Oli laid a wreath at
the ruins of the Dharahara
tower in the heart of
Kathmandu. The structure
collapsed on April 25 last
year, killing 132 people.
“I lost a friend who was
working at the top of the
tower on that day. I hope he
and others are in a good
place,” said Ram Shrestha.
He said he had just stepped
out a few minutes before
the earthquake to go
shopping and survived.
Madhav Newpane, who
runs a shop near the tower,
witnessed the collapse. He
returned on the anniver-
sary with a bouquet of
flowers and candles.
“There were many people
killed here on that day. I
will never be able to forget
that day,” said Newpane.
Buddhist monks also
gathered at the Kath-
mandu Durbar Square to
pray for nearly 9,000
people killed in the earth-
quake and aftershocks.
Nepal is under criticism
for the slow reconstruction
of the nearly 1 million
houses despite foreign
donors already pledging
$4.1 billion in aid.
Millions of people remain
homeless.
EARTHQUAKE ANNIVERSARY. Nepal’s prime minister, Khadga Prasad Oli, top photo, second from
right, stands after laying a wreath at the ruins of the Dharahara tower in the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal, on April
24, 2016. Government officials, diplomats, and ordinary people gathered at the remains of the fallen iconic tower
in the Nepalese capital to mark the anniversary of the devastating earthquake that killed thousands and injured
many more in the Himalayan nation. In the bottom photo, Nepalese people release balloons in memory of those
who died in the April 25, 2015 earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
A small group of about 20
protesters dressed in black
took to the streets, chant-
ing slogans criticizing the
slow pace of rebuilding.
Police quickly removed
their banner but allowed
them to shout anti-govern-
ment statements.
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