It is important for China to learn from Europe how to build eco-cities, Qiu Baoxing, Vice-Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said here Thursday.

Addressing the EU-China Mayors' Forum, Qiu said "satellite cities" with a population of more than one million will be a direction of China's urbanization and a solution to overcrowded cities.

"There will be more and more people living in satellite cities in China in the future, that's what we can learn from European experiences," Qiu said.

Qiu said his ministry had set standards saying all new buildings should be at least 50 percent energy-efficient compared to older ones, thereby creating a large market for European energy saving technologies.

Qiu also said that over 30 million welfare housings would be constructed during the Twelveth Five Year Plan period, an area where both funds and green technologies are needed.

Mayors from China and EU nations attended the forum, along with researchers, NGO members, students. The main topic of the forum was urbanization in an energy-efficient, eco-friendly and sustainable way.

"In China, as in Europe, some of our problems are also concentrated in cities -- economic, social, environmental and others," said Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development.

"But at the same time, many solutions also come from cities," he added.