Chinese Vice Premier stresses quality, fair distribution of affordable homes

Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (C, Rear) presides over a meeting on affordable homes, in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, Oct. 11, 2011. (Xinhua/Li Tao)
 

CHANGSHA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Vice Premier Li Keqiang has urged local governments to make greater efforts to build and fairly distribute high-quality affordable homes, as the government is looking to allow more mid- and low-income residents to have access to housing.

Building high-quality affordable homes is conducive to improving housing standards, maintaining steady economic development and promoting the healthy development of the property market, Li told provincial-level officials at a meeting in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, on Tuesday.

Government data showed that China started building more than 9.8 million affordable housing units as of the end of September, close to the planned target of 10 million for this year.

Local governments should focus on quality and fair distribution after large-scale construction has commenced, Li said.

Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, ordered local authorities to conduct strict supervision over site selection and design, quality of materials and inspection upon completion to ensure the quality of the projects.

Li also asked local governments to strictly conduct qualification checks and improve exit mechanisms to make sure that affordable housing units are distributed in a fair and open manner and benefit more people.

China's measures to control the property market are at a critical stage, Li said, urging local governments to finish the task for this year while making early plans for construction in 2012.

The central government has vowed to build 36 million units over the next five years in an effort to give more mid- and low-income households access to housing and stabilize runaway property prices, with 10 million units planned for each of 2011 and 2012.