New policies point to continued migrant discrimination in China's largest cities

Shanghai’s local government will attempt to limit the municipality’s population to 25 million using more stringent restrictions on official migration, South China Morning Post reported, citing its mayor, Yang Xiong. The draft version of Shanghai’s new five-year plan to 2020 did not elaborate on the policies that would be adopted. Meanwhile an announcement by Premier Li Keqiang reported by state media that the central government would end restrictions on official migration for university graduates, skilled workers and students returning from overseas except for in “very few mega cities” appears to reinforce the current program of discouraging migrants from attempting to settle in China’s most economically attractive areas.