Emerging from the Central Economic Work Conference Dec. 5-6 in Beijing, chaired by Chinese President Hu Jintao, was the conclusion that modifying China's "hukou" system — which controls the residential movement of people within the country — is a key to genuine economic reform. According to China's Xinhua press, the conferees recommended revising the hukou system to allow eligible migrant workers to settle and work in urban areas and easing up on residential restrictions for small and medium-sized towns and cities to promote urbanization and domestic consumption. Discussing hukou reform in China is not new, but the topic has taken on added importance during the global economic crisis. One of the main goals of China's stimulus program is to increase domestic consumption.