An official at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has denied a rumor that Beijing was decentralizing 5 million people to surrounding regions in the process of integrating the capital with Tianjin and Hebei province, according to cnr.cn.

The rumor has been spreading since the beginning of the year.

Xu Lin, director of the NDRC's Department of Development Planning, said the government will not take forceful measures to evacuate people. "Population movement should be driven by economic means," he said. "And as long as Tianjin and Hebei have enough job opportunities, people will flow to them."

Beijing had a population of some 21.5 million at the end of last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Special: Beijing integrates with Tianjin, Hebei