China will relax residency curbs in many of its smaller cities this year and increase infrastructure spending, the state planner said, in a fresh push to boost the urban population and revive slowing economic growth.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it aims to increase China's urbanisation rate by at least 1% by the end of this year.

The latest push is part of its longer-term goal of bringing 100 million people into the cities over the five years to 2020. In 2018, 59.6% of China's population lived in urban areas.

"This will provide strong support for maintaining sustained and healthy economic development and overall social stability," the NDRC said.