(Yicai Global) July 7 -- China’s top economic planner has moved to prohibit the building of super-tall skyscrapers amid quality and safety concerns.

Construction of high rises over 500 meters is banned outright, while the building of those above 250 meters is being curtailed, according to the notice issued yesterday by the National Development and Reform Commission.

The new regulations, which aim to fortify the management of infrastructure construction projects and other aspects such as fire protection systems, follows the closure of the 355.8-meter-high SEG Plaza in Shenzhen for checks after people fled the skyscraper when it started to shake on May 18. The local government ruled out an earthquake as the possible cause. SEG Plaza opened in 2001.

The NDRC and Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development put curbs on the unbridled planning and construction of skyscrapers in April last year. Those prohibited new buildings above 500 meters unless local conditions demanded such high rises, with strict checks on their fire, quake and energy-saving credentials. Buildings that passed muster also needed sign-off from the ministry and the NDRC.

There are just 10 buildings over 500 meters in the world and half of them are in the Chinese mainland. The tallest one is the Shanghai Tower at 632 meters, which was completed in 2016. The Wuhan Greenland Center, which finished construction last September, was initially designed to be 636 meters, but was scaled down to 475.

The under-construction Nanjing Greenland Jinmao International Financial Center and the planned Suzhou Hengan Center have already been adjusted to 499 meters.

Editor: Futura Costaglione