Minister vows differentiated measures to meet housing demand, stabilize market

BEIJING -- China will continue its targeted, differentiated policies to better meet people's housing demand and stabilize the property market, Ni Hong, minister of housing and urban-rural development, said.

"We will stick to the principle that housing is for living in, not for speculation, and adapt to the new situation that major changes have taken place in the supply-demand relationship in China's real estate market," Ni said at the ministry's annual work conference held on Thursday and Friday.

Ni said efforts will be made to ensure the delivery of pre-sold homes, deal with risks in property enterprises, and address illegal activities in the market.

In terms of building a new development mode, Ni said work will be done to improve the foundational property market system that covers the full cycle of real estates from construction to maintenance. The construction of affordable housing and public infrastructure for both normal and emergency use, as well as the renovation of shanty towns in cities, will be promoted. Another focus will be addressing the housing need of new urban residents, young people, and migrant workers.

The ministry will actively advance city upgrades, which include adding elevators and resolving parking difficulties in old residential communities, building more elderly and children-friendly facilities, and creating barrier-free environments.

At the conference, Ni also stressed efforts to improve urban underground pipeline networks, promote garbage sorting, and build more parks and public toilets in the vicinity of schools and kindergartens for a more livable city environment.

Data showed that China renovated 53,000 old residential communities in the first 11 months of this year, benefiting 8.82 million households. Some 32,000 elevators, 746,000 new parking spaces, and 14,000 elderly and child care facilities were added. About 100,000 km city pipelines were renovated.