Beijing, Dec 23 

Beijing Mayor Wang Anshun has said curbing the explosive growth of population will be a top priority for the city.

"To resolutely control the population's excessive growth is the key to solving multiple problems, such as traffic and environmental problems," Xinhua quoted Wang Anshun as saying at a session of the Communist Party of China Beijing committee Sunday.

Since 2000, Beijing's population has increased by an average of nearly 600,000 annually to reach 20.69 million at the end of 2012, far exceeding the previously planned target of keeping the population at 18 million by 2020.

Beijing's population is about 2.6 times that of London and 2.5 times that of New York.

By:IANS