Beijing Youth Daily:

My question is about housing. Buying a house often poses significant economic pressure for some new urban residents and young people. Does the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development have any considerations or arrangements to help address their housing issues? Thank you.

Ni Hong:

Thanks to this young journalist. I believe when young people have hope, their city has hope. When young people have a future, their city certainly has a future. Solving housing problems for new residents and young people, ensuring they can live and work contentedly in cities, is both an undeniable responsibility of city governments and a key measure for enhancing urban competitiveness.

Regarding housing solutions, our national policy operates on two fronts: housing security and market mechanisms. The government leads efforts to secure basic housing needs while the market meets people's diverse demands for improved housing.

Housing security operates through two approaches: leasing and purchasing. For the leasing approach, we are vigorously developing affordable and public rental housing for new residents and young people, with options ranging from single beds to private rooms to full suites. This enables them to move in, settle down, live comfortably and focus on their careers. Governments at all levels attach great importance to urban low-income households facing housing difficulties, implementing public rental housing programs and ensuring that low-income families who face housing difficulties are fully covered by the housing guarantee system. Public rental housing also offers two approaches: physical leasing and cash subsidies. The purchasing approach serves those with some financial capacity who, while temporarily unable to buy commercial housing, can purchase affordable housing. This system operates on demand-driven construction and purchasing. Housing resources are gathered through new construction or by purchasing eligible commercial properties for conversion to affordable housing. We've adapted to changing circumstances, particularly considering families with two or more children. We require and support local governments to appropriately increase the size of affordable housing in accordance with local conditions.

Here, I would also like to emphasize that while local city governments optimize and improve real estate policies based on local realities, they must also strengthen their efforts to ensure housing security and stick to the bottom line of housing guarantees. Besides, I'd like to share some data: from January to September this year, we have already constructed or acquired 1.48 million units (rooms) of affordable housing. By the end of the year, 4.5 million new residents and young people will be able to move into affordable housing.

Next, we will work with relevant departments to guide local governments in increasing the construction, collection and supply of affordable housing, focusing on solving the housing problems of disadvantaged groups and striving to ensure that all people have access to adequate housing.