China has shelved plans to build a 5-billion-yuan (US$600 million) television tower billed as an urban icon as well as a new parliament building in Beijing as part of government efforts to cool the overheating economy.

　　Construction of the skyscraper by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas had been scheduled to begin this month, but there may be "a change in plans," said the Oriental Outlook magazine.

　　The building, dubbed the "Titanic of Chinese architecture," would have been the new headquarters of official broadcaster China Central Television and, at 230 meters, would have been higher than any building in the Chinese capital.

　　"Whether that building will be completed is a big question mark," a senior CCTV executive said.

　　A CCTV spokesman, reached by telephone, declined to comment.

　　The magazine cited fears of traffic congestion in the central business district around the 80-story structure, its two inverted L-shaped towers joining high above the ground, as the main reason for the decision.

　　Some critics said the price was too high, especially as the government is trying to curb investment.

　　Koolhaas has to his recent credit a Prada superstore in Manhattan and two Guggenheim museums.

　　"China is not that rich," the magazine quoted Qinghua University architecture professor Wu Liangyong as saying.

　　"The bold structure could create a hidden danger in terms of security," Oriental Outlook said.

　　It was not clear if the project, initially scheduled to loom over the city's corporate heart by 2007 in time for the 2008 Olympic Games, would be resurrected with a different design.

　　The government also had plans to build a new 1.3-billion-yuan parliament building, Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po newspaper reported.

　　"It was suspended because of macro controls," the newspaper said, referring to government measures to cool the economy.

　　The six to seven-story parliament building would cover an area of about 100,000 square meters and serve as the office of staff of the National People's Congress, the top legislature, the newspaper said.

　　The cavernous Great Hall of the People would continue to serve as the venue of for NPC sessions.

　　(Reuters)