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Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Mr. Jiang Wanrong, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development

Mr. Li Rusheng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD)

Mr. Li Xiaolong, director general of the General Office, MOHURD

Mr. Wang Shengjun, director general of the Housing Reform and Development Department of the MOHURD and the ministry's spokesperson

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)

Date:

Sept. 14, 2022

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Today, we are holding the 31st press conference under the theme of "China in the past decade." We are delighted to have invited Mr. Jiang Wanrong, vice minister of housing and urban-rural development to brief you on China's measures and achievements in housing and urban-rural high-quality development in the new era and take your questions. Also joining us today are Mr. Li Rusheng, chief engineer of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD); Mr. Li Xiaolong, director general of the General Office, MOHURD; and Mr. Wang Shengjun, director general of the Housing Reform and Development Department of the MOHURD and the ministry's spokesperson. 

Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Jiang Wanrong for his introduction.

Jiang Wanrong:

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good afternoon. It is a great pleasure for me to attend the press conference this afternoon which is being held in the run-up to the 20th CPC National Congress. I would also like to thank the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee for giving us this opportunity to introduce the trajectory and achievements of housing and urban-rural development in the past 10 years. My colleagues and I will answer your questions and respond to your concerns. First, on behalf of MOHURD, I would like to thank you for your long-term attention to and support for housing and urban-rural development.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of important instructions on housing and urban-rural development, and proposed a series of new ideas, new concepts and new strategies, providing fundamental principles and guidance for us to do a good job in housing and urban-rural development. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the MOHURD has mobilized and guided officials and employees in the entire industry to study and implement the instructions and strive to build beautiful cities and countryside, meet housing needs for all people, and achieve historic progress in housing and urban-rural development.

The past decade has seen the largest number of government-subsidized housing projects and the highest amount of relevant investment in China. Hundreds of millions of people have realized their dream of having their own home. We regard accelerating the building of a housing support system as an important task to meet the basic housing needs of the people. The housing support system has been continuously improved. The construction of government-subsidized housing has been steadily advanced, the rebuilding of run-down urban areas has been vigorously implemented, groups benefiting from the housing provident fund have gradually been expanded, and the housing support capacity has been continuously enhanced. Over the past 10 years, the country has invested 14.8 trillion yuan in building various types of government-subsidized housing and rebuilding 59 million housing units in run-down urban areas. Low-income families with housing difficulties have been basically covered, and more than 140 million people have realized their dream of having their own place to live. 

The past decade has seen the fastest development in China's real estate industry and a real estate market which is increasingly better regulated. The living conditions of the people have been significantly improved. We have been adhering to the principle that "houses are for living in, not for speculation" and implementing city-specific policies and classified guidance to promote the stable and sound development of the real estate market. We put in place a long-term mechanism for the development of the real estate market and are ensuring that municipal-level governments shoulder the primary responsibilities, supervised by provincial-level ones. We have established and improved the real estate market supervision system, and unswervingly kept the prices of land and housing as well as market expectations stable. In the past 10 years, the scale of housing supply has continued to increase. The sector sold a total of 13.23 billion square meters of commercial homes during the period, up 2.2 times from the previous decade, with better construction quality, more amenities and improved living environment.

The past decade has seen changes to China's urban development paradigm and significant improvements to the quality of development. Cities have become healthier, safer and more livable. Adhering to "one respect, five coordinates," we put the people's living conditions in the first place, leave the best resources for the people, improve the ability to meet people's basic living needs and provide public services, and promote intensive and green development. Efforts have been made to explore a high-quality urban development path with Chinese characteristics. In the past 10 years, urban functions have been continuously improved, the urban living environment has been significantly upgraded, and the urban governance level has been markedly enhanced. In 2021, China's percentage of permanent urban residents reached 64.72%, built-up areas of cities covered 62,000 square kilometers, 98% of urban residents had access to gas, and 99.4% to water supply. The green area rate of urban built-up areas reached 38.7%, and the per-capita area of green parks reached 14.87 square meters. People now enjoy more convenient, comfortable and better lives in cities.

Over the past decade, China has made huge efforts to develop rural areas, greatly transforming their look and giving rural residents a stronger sense of gain, happiness, and security. Fully implementing the tasks of eliminating poverty and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, we have vigorously renovated dilapidated houses in rural areas, advanced rural development, improved the living environment there, and strived to build scenic and livable villages. A total of 23.42 million registered poor households nationwide have had access to safe housing, securing a historic victory in ensuring safe housing for impoverished rural residents. More than 50,000 beautiful villages with distinctive local features have been built, and more than 90% of household waste in villages has been collected, transported, and treated. A total of 6,819 villages of vital conservation value have been included in the list of traditional Chinese villages, and 520,000 traditional buildings, including cultural relics, historical buildings, traditional dwellings, temples, and ancestral halls, have been protected, developing the largest heritage conservation program of agrarian civilization with the richest contents and greatest value in the world. 

Over the past decade, China has transformed and upgraded its construction industry and been marching from a major builder toward a strong builder. China's construction has continued to change the country's look. We have deepened the reform to streamline administration and delegate power, improve regulations, and upgrade services in the construction industry, as well as reform the examination and approval system for construction projects. We have improved supervision systems and mechanisms, strengthened quality and safety management, optimized the business environment, and promoted the coordinated development of smart construction and new types of building industrialization. In the past decade, the construction industry has played a more solid role as a pillar industry of the national economy and has become more modernized, with project quality steadily improving. In 2021, the total output value of the construction industry reached 29.3 trillion yuan, 2.1 times that of 2012; the value added reached 8 trillion yuan, accounting for 7% of GDP; and the industry created more than 50 million jobs. A number of world-class landmark projects, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Beijing Daxing International Airport, have been completed, demonstrating China's strong comprehensive national strength.

The past decade has witnessed remarkable achievements. Fundamentally, all of these are attributed to the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and the scientific guidance of the Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. All of these are owed to the wisdom and sweat of builders in the new era and to the mighty strength of people from all sectors of society to build better urban and rural areas and realize their dream of having access to decent housing. Standing at a new historical starting point, we will focus on the central task of the Party on a new journey in the new era, keeping in mind the shouldering and fulfillment of our responsibilities, and striving for new advances in promoting the high-quality development of housing and urban-rural construction. By doing so, we aim to make greater contributions to realizing the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and paving the way for a successful 20th CPC National Congress with impressive achievements.

Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before raising your questions.

The Poster News APP:

Over the past decade, China has secured visible outcomes in urban development, with the urban environment being more beautiful, functions further improved, and residents are enjoying more convenience in their lives. Could you introduce the measures the MOHURD has taken to promote urban development and improve the urban landscape? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

Thank you for your question. City dwellers have experienced the development and changes of cities in recent years. I'd like to invite Mr. Li Xiaolong to answer this question.

Li Xiaolong:

Thank you for your question. Urban work plays a major role in the overall work of the Party and the country. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has put forward a series of new concepts, ideas, and strategies for urban work, answering the fundamental question of for and by whom are the cities being built and developed, as well as the major question of what kind of cities should be built and how to build them, thus providing principle guidance for promoting high-quality urban development.

After 37 years, in December 2015, we held the fourth Central Urban Work Conference, clarifying the overall thinking, goals, and tasks for urban development. This conference marked a milestone in urban work and turned a historic page in China's urban development.

Over the past decade, we have remained committed to a people-centered development philosophy, focusing on addressing the most pressing difficulties and problems that greatly concern the people. We have endeavored to create a quality living space for the people and make our cities healthier, safer, and more livable.

Over the past decade, China's urban living environment has been greatly improved. We have continued to restore the ecological environment and functions in cities, comprehensively renovated old urban residential communities, made further progress in sorting household refuse and greening urban gardens, and basically eliminated black, fetid water bodies in built-up areas of cities above the prefecture level, making the urban environment more livable. A total of 163,000 old residential communities have been renovated nationwide, benefiting more than 28 million households, and 297 cities above the prefecture level have adopted refuse sorting, covering 150 million households.

The past decade has witnessed the steady improvement of the comprehensive carrying capacity of cities in the country. We vigorously improved the system of urban infrastructure, accelerated new types of urban infrastructure, coordinated the construction of urban underground space and municipal infrastructure, and made efforts to renovate old public facilities. Just now, Mr. Jiang introduced some data, so I won't say more about this aspect. 

The past decade has witnessed an increasingly consolidated foundation for the safety and security in Chinese cities. We established a risk inventory system for urban governance, and carried out surveys and safety inspections of buildings, constructions, and municipal facilities. We also promoted the building of sponge cities and piloted the sponge city program in 75 cities. A total of 1,116 areas prone to waterlogging in 60 key cities have been pinpointed and addressed, and urban waterlogging has been controlled systematically.

The past decade has witnessed a better system and mechanism for the workings of Chinese cities. We established and improved the urban examination and evaluation system, which provided strong support for accurately identifying and solving the root causes of "urban diseases." This included promoting the construction of the CIM platform and urban operation management service platform and steadily implementing the urban renewal action.

In the past decade, China has made remarkable progress in urban construction and development, which gained the recognition of the international community. We promoted the establishment of the World City Day and the Global Sustainable Development Cities Award (Shanghai Award) at the U.N., strengthened exchanges and sharing among cities around the world, and boosted the implementation of the Global Development Initiative and the U.N .2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which jointly advanced the sustainable development of global cities. Thank you.

Yicai:

The construction industry is a pillar industry of the Chinese economy. What has the ministry done to upgrade the structure of the industry? How has the "Built by China" brand changed the face of China? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

As I said in the introduction, China is now a major state in the construction industry and will continue to build its strength in the industry. Plenty of international landmark projects are also being advanced steadily. I would like to invite Mr. Li Rusheng to answer your questions.

Li Rusheng:

Thank you. Just as Mr. Jiang said that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the past decade marks an important period for the construction industry to transform and upgrade. "Built by China" has shown its strong comprehensive strength. I would like to add a few more points.

In the past decade, the scale of the construction industry has constantly increased. In the period, the industry's added value increased from 3.69 trillion yuan to 8.01 trillion yuan, accounting for more than 6.85% of GDP, which consolidated its position as a pillar industry of the economy. In 2021, the industry's total output reached 29.3 trillion yuan, more than twice that of 2012, and the sector created 52.82 million jobs, 10 million more than that of 2012.

In the past decade, the development benefit of the construction industry has sharply increased. Engineering design, construction standard, project quality, the level of S&T innovation, and the skills of workers have all been significantly improved. Labor productivity reached 473,000 yuan per person, an increase of nearly 60% compared with 2012. A number of new products, new business forms, and new models have taken shape, including prefabricated buildings, construction robots, and the internet for the construction industry. In 2021, the area of newly built prefabricated buildings in China reached 740 million square meters, accounting for 24.5% of the total newly built constructions.

In the past decade, the construction industry has supported people's basic living needs. Projects for improving people's wellbeing, such as the construction of urban infrastructure, schools, and hospitals, the rebuilding of run-down urban areas, and the renovation of old residential communities in cities, have significantly changed the landscape of urban and rural areas and facilitated people's work and life. Take the construction of urban rail transport as an example. At the end of 2021, the total length of urban rail transit lines reached 8,571 kilometers, more than four times that of 2012. The annual passenger volume reached 23.6 billion, which greatly facilitated people's travel. A number of landmark projects completed during the past decade, such as the Beijing Daxing International Airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals in Wuhan, embody the achievements of the transformation and development of the construction industry, and become the calling card of "Built by China."

In the past decade, the construction industry has expanded its overseas presence at a faster pace. Its international competitiveness has been significantly enhanced, with overseas projects carried out in more than 190 countries and regions. Since 2013, the turnover of contracted overseas projects and the amount of newly signed contracts have maintained steady growth. In 2021, 79 Chinese enterprises were among the world's largest 250 international contractors, as the number of such enterprises and the proportion of business have continued to rank first since 2014.

The influence of the "Built by China" brand has continued to improve. During his 2019 New Year speech, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "Made in China," "Created in China," and "Built by China" should work together to continuously change the face of China. His remark not only recognizes the construction industry, but also shows ardent expectations of its future development.

Next, we will further deepen the reform of the construction industry, strive for innovation-driven and technology-led development, and promote the transformation, the upgrading, and high-quality development of the industry so as to continue building the brand of "Built by China" and make a greater contribution to the sustained and sound development of the economy and society. Thank you.

China News Service:

Safe housing is an important part of the Two Assurances and Three Guarantees in poverty reduction [this refers to assurances of adequate food and clothing and guarantees of access to compulsory education, basic medical services, and safe housing for impoverished rural residents]. What has the MOHURD done to achieve the goal of providing safe housing to the rural poor population? Thank you.

Li Rusheng:

As Mr. Jiang mentioned before, in the battle against poverty, a total of 23.416 million registered poor households nationwide have access to safe housing, which means the issue of safe housing for poor rural population has been solved. We are very pleased to see that they have moved from clay and straw houses in brick ones, which shelter the wind and are larger and brighter. Their sense of contentment, happiness, and security has been greatly improved. The work we have done in this regard is as follows:

First, we carried out precise identification. We laid out applicable standards to identify dilapidated houses in rural areas, which include four levels: level A, which means safe; B, which is basically safe; C, which is partially dangerous; and D, which is dangerous. Houses identified as C and D-level houses are regarded as dilapidated houses for renovation.

Second, we ensured that responsibilities are fulfilled. We take registered poor households as the priority of our work. We adhere to the principle that the government at the provincial level takes the primary responsibility and the government at city, county, and township levels implements the tasks. Identification of safe housing has been carried out for every village and every household. We established a ledger for the renovation of dilapidated houses. Efforts were made to manage projects, funds, and human resources in a coordinated way. The renovation works have been mainly done by farmers themselves and subsidized by the government. For those areas of extreme poverty, we provided preferential policies. We also carried out a working mechanism in which a household would be removed from the list once its dilapidated house was renovated.

Third, we provided professional assistance. We formulated technical standards and guidance that are applicable in works of renovation and completion acceptance. We carried out training for construction workers and managers. We organized efforts to provide tailored technical assistance and help areas of extreme poverty, enhance techniques for renovating dilapidated houses, and improve housing quality. 

Fourth, we conducted careful examinations and checks. We worked with relevant departments to conduct examinations nationwide to ensure registered poor households have access to safe housing. By fully leveraging the institutional strength of "CPC Secretaries at Five Levels Responsible for Poverty Elimination" [the five levels refer to the Party committees of provinces, cities (prefectures), counties, and townships, and the Party branches of villages], we organized local governments to work with Party branches of villages and village committees, village Party chiefs, and resident work teams in poor villages to conduct examinations on housing conditions for every registered poor household, in a bid to make sure that no household and no one is left behind.

Next, the MOHURD will align the efforts of consolidating and expanding poverty alleviation achievements with rural vitalization endeavors, conduct dynamic monitoring, and continue the renovation works of dilapidated houses and seismic retrofitting in rural areas. We will speed up the building of a long-term mechanism that aims to ensure safe housing for low-income groups in rural areas in a bid to better meet the growing needs of rural residents. Thank you.

Changjiang Daily:

Urban management is closely related to people's interests, and has drawn much attention from all circles of society. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that cities shall be governed meticulously, like creating an embroidery. What has the ministry done in this regard? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

As the Chinese saying goes, construction work accounts for 30% of urban development while the rest relies on management. Managing a city, especially mega-cities, is not an easy job. General Secretary Xi Jinping has made clear instructions in this aspect many times. Today, Mr. Wang will introduce this aspect.

Wang Shengjun: 

Thank you for your question. In recent years, we have resolutely acted on the important instruction given by General Secretary Xi Jinping that cities shall be governed with meticulous efforts and made special action plans on making the urban management more meticulous. We guided local authorities to deepen reform of the law enforcement system for urban management. Meticulous efforts have been made to improve urban management.

First, we deepened institutional reform. We have established a four-tiered system for urban management at the national, provincial, city, and county levels. The MOHURD has set up the Urban Management Supervision Bureau. Provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have specialized departments that are in charge of urban management. There are also comprehensive departments with urban management functions at city and county levels. Laws and regulations have been improved, and we have promulgated Measures for Law Enforcement in Urban Management and Technical Standards for Urban Outdoor Advertising Facilities, among others. We worked to carry out urban management works at the community level and solve the "last-mile" problem to better meet the needs of people. We pushed forward the establishment of a new city management paradigm based on collaboration and participation.

Second, we focused on sci-tech development in urban management. We have initiated the building of an urban management service platform at the national, provincial, and city levels. We have established a national network that connects all departments, and in which coordinated efforts will be achieved, and information will be shared. We have set up a new mechanism in which our decision-making, management, and innovations are based on statistics. The platforms at national and provincial levels focus on the overall situation, providing guidance and conducting supervision. The platform at the city level focuses on coordinating efforts, enhancing competent services, and strengthening assessment. Shanghai, Hangzhou, Qingdao, and other cities have put in place e-platforms for urban management, which preliminarily realized the goal of addressing problems at the source as well as process monitoring, early warning, emergency response, and improving the urban management with a holistic approach. 

Third, we have made greater efforts to train urban management personnel and improved our capability for doing meticulous work. We have continuously carried out special campaigns themed with "Strengthening Foundation, Changing Working Style, Building Image," and formulated the Code of Conduct for Urban Management and Law Enforcement. We have worked to ensure that law enforcement is strict, procedure-based, impartial, and civil by comprehensively introducing the system of publicity for administrative law enforcement, the system of archiving of the entire law-enforcement process and the system of legal review of major law enforcement. We have also promoted the "721 Working Method," which solved 70% of the problems through service, 20% of the problems through management, and 10% of that through enforcement. In the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic and the fight against disasters such as waterlogging, typhoons, and snowstorms, urban management officers have lived up to their responsibilities, taken the lead, and made contributions. Three urban management officers, including Zhang Guifeng, were awarded the title of "model civil servants."

Four, we have made contribution to the operation of cities. We have formulated the standards for clean, orderly, and safe cityscape and included main indicators into the national standard evaluation system for civilized cities. We have continued to improve cities' appearance and environment, focusing on tackling difficult problems in backstreets, alleyways, advertising plaques, and manhole covers. We have also conducted trials of risk list management system for urban governance and pilot monitoring system for the safe operation of urban infrastructure, and built comprehensive monitoring systems for information on gas, water supply, drainage, power supply, heating, and bridges so as to improve urban risk prevention and control capabilities.

Thank you!

CNBC:

I have prepared two questions. First, I would like to ask, how is the housing shortage situation in urban and rural areas? How much more money and what kind of measures will be needed to support urban and rural development? Second, what are the key plans for the issues of urban and rural housing development in the next year or two? For example, in regards to the proportion of rental housing, government-subsidized rental housing, etc.? What other sectors will have new opportunities to participate? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

The housing problem is a major concern to all. I will invite Mr. Wang Shengjun to answer these questions.

Wang Shengjun:

Thank you for your questions. Mr. Jiang has introduced the development situation, including the progress we have achieved in housing construction over the past decade. Since the reform and opening-up, especially the urban housing reform, we have constantly accelerated the pace of housing construction and continuously expanded the scale of housing supply, so the problem of housing shortage has been solved gradually. According to the data of the seventh national census, the nation's total household living space has surpassed 50 billion sq m as of 2020. At this stage, people's demand for housing has shifted from "zero to one" to "good or not." They have started to require more comfortable living conditions, a more beautiful environment, and more convenient services. In response to people's expectations, the MOHURD will speed up the establishment of a housing system with multiple types of suppliers, multiple channels for housing support, and encouragement for both renting and buying. We will strive to improve housing design and construction, improve management and service quality, and continuously meet people's needs for a better living.

Over the last decade, we have made a rapid progress in housing as well as urban and rural development. The construction scale of housing, including urban infrastructure, has become relatively large. Speaking of future work regarding housing and urban and rural development, it is fair to say that we still in a period of rapid urbanization. Tens of millions of people are added to the urban population every year, resulting in massive demand for urban housing, infrastructure, and public service facilities. Meanwhile, our cities have entered an important stage of urban renewal and have been faced with many new tasks such as rebuilding old urban residential areas, shoring up weak links in infrastructure and renovation. It is fair to say that the construction scale remains relatively large considering these two aspects mentioned above, as well as the efforts to advance rural development. Advancing housing and urban and rural development has remained a long-term task as well as a comprehensive task.

Going forward, the MOHURD will earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, and take various measures to advance supply-side structural reforms in housing, urban renewal, and rural development in a coordinated manner. We will also accelerate the construction of government-subsidized rental housing, as you mentioned before, to make new progress in the high-quality development of housing and urban and rural areas.

CCTV:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, housing conditions in China have achieved noticeable improvement, helping many urban residents realize their dreams of settling down. Regarding this, could you please introduce what efforts the MOHURD has made and what achievements have been produced? For the next step, what new measures will be taken to consolidate the work of housing support and to solve housing problems for low- and middle-income urban residents and new urban residents? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

Thank you for your questions. The housing problem concerns people's well-being. Therefore, we should ensure that the government functions better while letting market forces play a decisive role. We have prioritized improving two systems: the housing market system and the housing support system. The government plays a more significant role in the support system. Over the past decade, we have explored the following aspects and made several achievements.

First, we have moved faster to improve the housing support system to meet people's basic housing needs. Focusing on meeting people's basic housing needs, we have fully considered different groups' housing conditions and financial capacity while exploring and establishing the housing support system. Based on a thorough investigation and demonstration, and a review of experiences gained from the trials, with the approval of the State Council, last June, the General Office of the State Council issued opinions on accelerating the development of the government-subsidized rental housing. It outlined for the first time the top-level design for the housing support system at the national level. It proposed accelerating the improvement of the housing support system with public rental housing, government-subsidized rental housing and shared ownership housing as the mainstay. In other words, the housing support system mainly consists of three parts: public rental housing, government-subsidized rental housing, and shared ownership housing. To deliver the best outcomes, we have worked with relevant departments to establish a set of relatively sound housing support policies and management systems, including financial, fiscal and tax, land and other support policies. In addition, we have set up mechanisms for the admission, use, exit and operation management of government-subsidized housing, ensuring that benefits can effectively be brought to people struggling with housing and needing help.

Second, we have advanced housing reconstruction in neglected urban areas to help people move from sub-standard accommodation to new apartments. In 2013, the reconstruction of the neglected urban areas was fast-tracked. The state has issued policy documents concerning speeding up the rebuilding of housing in dilapidated urban areas every year for three consecutive years. These documents set out clear requirements about the number of buildings to be rebuilt and the necessary infrastructure. Departments and commissions of the central government have cooperated closely and introduced a series of effective policies and measures concerning financial support, tax and fee cuts and exemptions, capital subsidies, land supply and special bonds. Over the past decade, over 43 million housing units in underdeveloped urban areas have been rebuilt, helping hundreds of millions of residents in run-down urban areas to improve their living conditions and to live in peace and contentment.

Third, we have made great efforts to develop government-subsidized rental housing to help new urban residents and young people realize their dreams of having a home to settle in. We have urged and guided localities to accelerate the development of government-subsidized rental housing, set the development goals, establish fundamental institutions, promote multi-party participation and implement supporting policies. Moreover, a pattern of developing government-subsidized rental housing with multiple types of suppliers and numerous channels for support has taken shape. In 2021 and 2022, 3.3 million government-subsidized rental housing units were constructed nationwide, addressing the housing needs of nearly 10 million new urban residents and young people. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 6.5 million government-subsidized rental homes will be built in 40 key cities, solving the housing difficulties for about 20 million new urban residents and young people.

Fourth, we have promoted the well-regulated development of public rental housing to ensure the basic needs of urban households with housing difficulties and low incomes. Over the past decade, public rental housing operation management has been continuously strengthened, with an increase in the amount of physical housing stock and an improvement in the housing subsidy system. By the end of 2021, 38 million people in need had moved into public rental housing. The provision of physical housing and rental subsidies has addressed the housing needs of many people in difficulty. I would like to share some figures with you. We have ensured the housing needs of 11.76 million people living on low incomes and subsistence allowances and struggling with housing. Moreover, we have helped 5.08 million people over 60 years old, 710,000 people with disabilities, 440,000 young teachers, 260,000 entitled groups, and 230,000 sanitation workers and bus drivers.

Fifth, we have developed shared ownership housing according to local conditions and helped households with certain financial capacities to purchase shared ownership housing. In April 2014, we launched pilots on the development of shared ownership housing in six cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. We deepened the pilot programs in September 2017. By the end of 2021, a total of 83,000 shared ownership housing units had been built in Beijing and 136,000 households had signed contracts in Shanghai. Shared ownership housing enables residents to obtain houses with property rights at relatively lower prices, increasing their sense of fulfillment, happiness and security.

Indeed, housing support is a long-term task. Next, we will thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, focusing on increasing government-subsidized rental housing and improving the housing support system. We will further regulate the development of public rental housing, develop shared ownership housing according to local conditions, and steadily advance housing renovation in run-down urban areas. We will make more efforts to increase the supply of government-subsidized housing to better meet people's basic housing needs while making new achievements in housing support.

Thank you!

CNR News:

Significant changes are taking place in not only urban but also rural development. How will the MOHURD advance the building of beautiful countryside and retain our cultural roots? Moreover, what measures will be taken next to promote rural revitalization? Thank you.

Li Xiaolong:

Thank you for your questions. The idea that the development of beautiful countryside should enable people to enjoy the beautiful scenery and retain their cultural roots has been ingrained into people's minds. Beautiful villages have also become places where people living in cities would most like to bring their elderly and children to visit during holidays or to take photos for social media.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the MOHURD has conscientiously studied and implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and instructions on rural development and stepped up rural development to build a beautiful and livable countryside. Rural areas have taken on a new look.

First, we have improved the management over the construction of rural houses and villages. We have provided design support to countryside construction and strengthened the training of rural constructors to improve rural development. We have promoted the modernization of rural housing and villages, enhanced the design and construction level of rural housing, strengthened the development of village infrastructure and public service supporting facilities, protected the natural and cultural environment, and greatly enhanced the housing conditions of rural residents. These efforts have given rise to a number of picturesque villages with distinctive features. 

Second, breakthroughs have been made in treating household waste in rural areas. We have guided all localities to coordinate the development of waste treating facilities and services at the county, township and village levels. The domestic waste collection, transporting and treating service has covered more than 90% of villages, an increase of 60 percentage points compared with 2012. The task of improving 24,000 undesignated refuse dumping points has been completed, and nearly 1 billion cubic meters of various types of garbage left untreated for long have been adequately addressed.

Third, the protection of traditional villages has continued to improve. We have organized and implemented programs to protect traditional Chinese villages, and 6,819 villages were included in the "List of Chinese Traditional Villages for Protection." We have carried out demonstrative projects for contiguous protection and utilization of traditional Chinese villages. 520,000 historical buildings and traditional dwellings and 3,380 intangible cultural heritage items at and above the provincial level have been protected and inherited, forming the world's largest protection group of agricultural civilization heritage.

Fourth, the evaluation mechanism for rural development has been continuously improved. We have established and enhanced the evaluation mechanism for rural development and built an index system to evaluate rural development, rural housing construction, village construction and county seat construction among other aspects. In 28 provinces across the country, 117 sample counties were evaluated, shedding light on the status and performance of rural development nationwide as well as the significant problems and shortcomings. The findings serve as important references for scientifically promoting rural development.

In the next step, we will continue to advance poverty alleviation to help achieve rural revitalization, and promote the beautiful countryside initiative to continuously yield new results. First, we will implement projects to improve the quality and safety of rural housing by enhancing the design and construction level. We will improve rural houses' functions and supporting facilities and continuously improve rural residents' housing and living conditions. Second, we will guide all localities to further improve the system for the collection, transport and treatment of domestic waste, improve the governance level, and continue to improve rural living environments. Third, we will increase the protection and utilization of traditional Chinese villages. Fourth, we will carry out a comprehensive evaluation of rural development. Fifth, we will further mobilize and stimulate people's enthusiasm and initiative to participate in rural development and ensure rural people can share the fruits of rural development. Thank you.

Southern Metropolis Daily:

In the past decade, real estate has been closely related to the vital interests of ordinary people and the country's economic and social development. The rapid development of real estate has also played a significant role in improving people's housing conditions. What measures has the MOHURD taken in this regard? As we move forward, is there anything else under consideration when promoting a stable and healthy housing market, especially regarding the delivery of houses to their purchasers? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

Everyone has personal experiences with real estate, so please let me invite Mr. Wang Shengjun to give you an introduction to this issue.

Wang Shengjun:

Thanks for your question. Real estate is of great interest to everyone, so let me introduce the details.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee, with great care for the people's wellbeing, has proposed the principle that houses are for living in, not for speculation, and made comprehensive plans to meet the housing needs of all Chinese people as a major task. The housing system to ensure supply through multiple sources, provide housing support through multiple channels, and encourage both housing purchase and renting has been gradually improved. "Houses are for living in, not for speculation" has become a public consensus. 

As Mr. Jiang Wanrong said, with the rapid development of real estate, our market order has been constantly regulated. Over the past ten years, we have worked closely with all relevant departments to resolutely implement the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. The focus of real estate development has always been on ensuring people's wellbeing. We have implemented in steps long-term mechanisms to stabilize land prices, housing prices, and expectations, and take city-specific policies to promote the steady and healthy development of the real estate market. There are mainly the following aspects.

First, we have established a policy coordination mechanism. We have kept real estate policies continuous and stable, making them more coordinated and well-targeted. We have supported people's demand for housing and improved housing by reining in speculative investment in the housing market. We have also enhanced the land supply management for residential use, established a joint mechanism for housing and land supply, and improved macro-prudential management of real estate financing to promote a sound circle between real estate and finance.

Second, we have established a mechanism that links the ministry with provinces and cities. Considering real estate market law, the ministry and provincial and municipal governments have coordinated efforts to strengthen the primary responsibility of municipal government and the supervision and guiding responsibility of provincial governments. We have adopted city-specific measures and made full use of tools for regulation to enhance guidance and supervision over city-specific measures.

Third, we have improved the monitoring, early warning, evaluation and assessment mechanism. We have established a sound information system for the real estate market and a monitoring system to carry out monthly monitoring, quarterly evaluation and annual evaluation regularly. For cities where the housing prices exceed the target of regulation, we urge municipal governments to take effective measures to stabilize the market by issuing letters of warning and conducting inquiries, research and supervision.

Fourth, we have enhanced supervision over the real estate market. The ministry and related departments have jointly launched a three-year campaign to ensure the order of the real estate market. We have done this by rectifying violations of laws and regulations in real estate development, housing sales, housing rental and property services, and strengthening supervision of pre-sale funds for commercial housing following the principle of "getting them under control instead of over control." We take it as the primary goal to ensure home delivery, meet living needs, maintain stability, and prevent and defuse market risks in accordance with the law- and market-based principles to protect the legitimate rights and interests of homebuyers and maintain overall social stability.

Real estate involves living needs and development as well. The ministry and related departments will continue to take concrete steps to promote the steady and sound development of the real estate market. First, we adhere to the policy that homes are for living in, not for speculation; this is the fundamental principle for real estate regulation. Second, we will improve the housing market and support systems, both of which are indispensable. Third, we will increase efforts to stabilize land prices, housing prices and expectations. Fourth, we will improve the mechanism for coordinating the elements of people, homes, land and funds by determining housing prices based on the population and estimating land supply and funds based on homes.

Regarding home delivery, the ministry, together with the Ministry of Finance and the People's Bank of China, issued special measures last month to support cities in need. We utilized special loans from policy banks to boost the construction and delivery of housing projects that have been sold and have difficulties delivering on time. At present, work in this regard is getting underway in an orderly manner. Thank you.

Hong Kong Economic Herald:

Historical and cultural heritage carries the gene and bloodline of the Chinese nation. Over the decade, China has systematically sought to protect, utilize and maintain historical and cultural heritage in the country's urban and rural construction. What efforts have been made by the ministry to enhance the work in this regard? Thank you.

Li Xiaolong:

Thank you for your question. It is our responsibility to history and the people to protect and carry forward historical and cultural heritage. We have implemented the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and continued to strengthen the protection and inheritance of historical and cultural heritage. At present, China has 140 state historical and cultural cities, 312 historical and cultural towns, 487 historical and cultural villages and 6,819 traditional villages, more than 1,200 historical and cultural blocks, and 59,500 historical buildings, making them the most comprehensive, complete and systematic carrier for carrying forward traditional Chinese culture.

First, we have established a system for protection and inheritance and formed a systematic protection model. The concept of the system involves a time span covering the 5,000-year history of Chinese civilization, including the ancient time, 180 years of modern and contemporary history, 100 years since the founding of the Communist Party of China, 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and 40 years of reform and opening-up. Meanwhile, it also involves coverage, where all that ought to be designated for protection shall be designated and all that ought to be protected shall be protected. We had done a lot of jobs before the concept of the system was rolled out. Last August, the Opinions on Strengthening the Protection and Inheritance of Historical and Cultural Heritage in Urban and Rural Construction was issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council. The document clarified the protection of historical and cultural cities, towns and villages (traditional villages), blocks and immovable cultural relics, historical architecture and streets, industrial, agricultural, irrigation and intangible cultural heritage and the cultural heritage of place names. The complete system has formed a systematic protection model.

Second, we insist on promoting protection by utilization. Urban and rural historical and cultural heritage are closely linked to ordinary people's lives. For example, Chinese traditional construction methods, whether a mix of brick and wood or a wooden structure, decay more easily the less you use them. Therefore, a question worth thinking about is how we can protect these cultural relics whilst making good use of them. Now, we encourage all localities to adopt the approach to promote protection by putting them into use, and make historical and cultural resources be utilized and come alive through refined transformation. By doing so, on the one hand, we can protect cultural relics. On the other hand, we can resolve the pressing difficulties and problems of the most significant concern to the people and make their living more convenient. Some places have achieved good results by adopting this approach and the relic sites have now become popular among internet users after transformation and renovation.

Third, we strengthen supervision and management. To improve the protection of famous historical and cultural cities, towns and villages, it is imperative to supervise and inspect. Regarding destructive behaviors such as large-scale demolition and reconstruction, we have promptly investigated, punished and issued circulated notices to criticize, reversing this bad tendency and the malpractice of demolishing relics and constructing replicas, in a timely manner. At the same time, we have established a special evaluation system for the normalized protection of famous historical cities. Starting this year, we will guide each of such cities to complete yearly self-assessments.

Going forward, the MOHURD will work with relevant departments to speed up the improvement of the urban and rural historical and cultural heritage protection and inheritance system. We will wholly and systematically protect historical and cultural heritage, and strive to do an excellent job in the protection and inheritance of urban and rural historical and cultural heritage in the new era, so that urban and rural areas can retain their memories and the public can enjoy the nostalgia. Thank you!

Cover News:

Construction has a high energy consumption, but it also has a high energy saving potential. May I ask what measures our country has taken to promote the rapid development of energy efficiency of buildings and green architecture, and encourage energy conservation and emission reduction in the construction sector? What results have been achieved? Thank you.

Li Rusheng:

Well, thank you for your questions. Indeed, the construction sector is an important area of China's energy consumption and carbon emissions. It is also vital for China to achieve peak carbon emission and carbon neutrality. I would like to answer your questions on expanding the construction of eco-friendly buildings, promoting the energy efficiency of buildings, adjusting energy structures and improving the green standards.

First, we have expanded the construction industry through green architecture. The coverage area of newly built green buildings nationwide has increased from 4 million square meters in 2012 to more than 2 billion square meters in 2021. In 2021, the proportion of newly built green buildings in urban areas that year reached 84%, and the cumulative number of projects that have obtained green building labels reached 25,000. Currently, 2,134 green building materials products have obtained certification labels, which has driven the coordinated development of related industries and has extended and widened the construction industrial chain.

Second, we improved the lives of residents through the energy efficiency of buildings. We vigorously promoted building energy efficiency and raised the energy efficiency standard for residential buildings in northern China from an energy saving rate of 50% in 2012 to 75%. By the end of 2021, urban energy-efficient buildings had reached 27.7 billion square meters. According to the monitoring results, the residential buildings that have undergone energy-saving renovation can increase the indoor temperature by 3-5 degrees Celsius in winter and decrease it by 2-3 degrees Celsius in summer, improving the living comfort of residents.

Third, we have made the residential environment greener by adjusting the energy consumption structure. By the end of 2021, China's buildings' solar thermal energy application area reached 5.066 billion square meters, and the installed solar photovoltaic capacity reached 18,200 megawatts. The shallow geothermal energy application building area was about 467 million square meters, and urban buildings' renewable energy replacement rate reached 6%, effectively reducing carbon emissions.

Fourth, we have strengthened the industry's competitiveness by improving building energy efficiency standards. We have promulgated and implemented a series of standard specifications for the energy efficiency of buildings, green architecture and building materials. These include the "General Code for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Application in Buildings," "Assessment Standard for Green Building," "Technical Standard for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings," and "Green Product Assessment - Wood-based Panels and Wooden Flooring," which have enhanced the competitiveness of the construction industry and created conditions for the "Built by China" brand to go global.

Going forward, we will adhere to the priority of ecology and conservation, implement the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and promote energy efficiency of buildings, green architecture and green construction. We will accelerate the green and low-carbon transformation and development of urban and rural construction and put a green label on "Built by China" to contribute to building a beautiful China. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Due to time constraints, we will take the last question. Housing and urban-rural development is closely related to everyone and has received widespread attention. If you do not get the opportunity to ask your question, please feel free to contact the MOHURD after the press conference. Let's give the last opportunity to this journalist in the first row.

21st Century Business Herald:

Since its establishment, the housing provident fund system has benefited more and more people with increasingly higher satisfaction. How has the system been improved? What role has it played in meeting the people's basic housing needs? Thank you.

Jiang Wanrong:

Thank you for your positive comment on our work. The housing provident fund system has indeed played a very important role. I would like to invite our spokesperson Mr. Wang Shengjun to take these questions.

Wang Shengjun:

Thank you for your questions. I'll make a brief introduction. The housing provident fund system was first launched in Shanghai in 1991 amid the urban housing reform. It is a fundraising, use and management system created to solve the housing problem for employees. Over the past decade, the system has developed steadily, benefitted larger groups of people, continued to release the system's dividends, and played an increasingly prominent role in meeting people's basic housing needs. I would like to summarize its development in three points.

First, the system pools funds for people's accommodation. Over the past decade, the coverage of the system has continuously expanded and the scale of the fund has become ever larger. The number of people who pay contributions to the fund has increased from 102 million to 164 million, the total deposits from 5 trillion yuan to 22.5 trillion yuan, and the fund balance from 2.68 trillion yuan to 8.18 trillion yuan. Last year, employees in the non-public sector accounted for 52.1% of all those who contributed to the fund. Meanwhile, over 1 million workers in flexible employment participated in the system. We also encourage our fellow compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan who are working on the Chinese mainland to contribute to and use the housing provident fund. 

Second, the system provides convenient services for the people. We support both renting and buying to solve the housing problem for the people. In the past decade, 12.44 trillion yuan were withdrawn from the housing provident fund; 27.36 million individual housing loans were issued, totaling 10.28 trillion yuan, of which more than 80% were first-home loans. In addition, 341 municipal housing provident fund management centers have set up platforms enabling trans-provincial, off-site, and round-the-clock services. A national platform for the transfer and continuation of the housing provident fund has been launched to help employees transfer their accounts and continue contributing despite movement across the country. We have handled a total of 4.19 million housing provident fund transfers and continuations, with an amount exceeding 100 billion yuan. In May last year, the national housing provident fund mini-app was launched, which has provided individual housing provident fund information inquiry services to more than 67 million depositors.

Third, the system helps guard against risks and protects employee's savings through transparent operation. Using the internet plus regulation model, we have improved the national housing provident fund regulation and service platform, which enables online real-time regulation and established an impregnable risk prevention system combining internal risk control and external regulation and connecting online inspection with offline verification and disposal. Since 2015, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and the People's Bank of China, we have released the previous year's national housing provident fund "account book" to the public every year, and local housing provident fund management centers have also disclosed the annual housing provident fund bills within their jurisdictions through various channels.

The housing provident fund, with saving as the basis and fund at the core, is designed to ensure people's accommodation. Going forward, we will continue to innovate and develop the system to sustain its benefits for both employers and employees and better meet the people's housing needs. Thank you.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you to Mr. Jiang and all the other speakers. Thank you to friends from the media. That's all for today's press conference.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Zhang Liying, Cui Can, Wang Yanfang, Qin Qi, Huang Shan, Xu Kailin, Zhou Jing, Zhang Rui, Liu Sitong, He Shan, Lin Liyao, Ma Yujia, Xu Xiaoxuan, Yuan Fang, Yan Bin, Duan Yaying, Li Huiru, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Tom Arnstein. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.