BEIJING -- China's State Council approved, in principle, the general urban planning of Jiangmen in south China's Guangdong province for the next ten years, according to a statement on the government's website on Tuesday.

The plan includes 1,786 square kilometers of areas in Jiangmen, a historic city that is home to many overseas Chinese.

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Further, the population in major urban areas should be limited to 1.6 million and the land set aside for construction should stay below 156 square kilometers by 2020, the notice said.

The notice also stressed balanced development between urban and rural areas and more efforts to build a resources-efficient and environmentally-friendly city.

Also, the city's historic and cultural features should be properly protected, the notice said.