Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development: Promote Structural Reform on the Supply Side of Housing

Wang Menghui, the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, stated at the national housing and urban-rural construction work conference held on the 20th that in 2022, efforts should be made to promote structural reform on the supply side of housing. We should adhere to both rental and purchase options, with multiple entities providing supply and multiple channels ensuring security, optimizing the housing supply structure.
Wang Menghui said that it is necessary to vigorously increase the supply of affordable rental housing, focusing on large cities with net population inflow, aiming to construct and secure 2.4 million units of affordable rental housing throughout the year. We need to improve the urban housing security system and guide localities to reasonably determine their housing security system arrangements. Accelerate the development of the long-term rental housing market. Improve the contribution, use, management, and operation mechanisms of the housing provident fund.

The national housing and urban-rural construction work conference was held in Beijing via video. The meeting studied and deployed key tasks for 2022, focusing on strengthening real estate market regulation, promoting structural reform on the supply side of housing, implementing urban renewal actions, implementing rural construction actions, and promoting the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry.

The meeting required strengthening regulation of the real estate market. We must firmly uphold the positioning that houses are for living in, not for speculation, and not use real estate as a tool for short-term economic stimulus. We should maintain the continuity and stability of regulatory policies, enhance the coordination and precision of regulatory policies, continue to implement the long-term mechanism for real estate steadily, resolutely and effectively address the risks of overdue delivery of real estate projects by certain leading real estate companies, and continue to rectify and standardize the order of the real estate market.

Regarding the implementation of urban renewal actions, the meeting required that urban renewal actions be regarded as a major strategic measure to promote high-quality urban development, improving systems, optimizing layouts, enhancing functions, controlling bottom lines, improving quality, increasing efficiency, and changing methods. Comprehensive urban health assessments should be conducted in cities. Localities should be guided to formulate and implement urban renewal plans, advancing various tasks in a planned and step-by-step manner. Organize and promote major projects for the aging renewal and transformation of urban pipelines such as gas.

Wang Menghui stated that we must implement the goals and tasks of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. We should issue implementation plans for carbon peaking in the field of urban and rural construction, guide localities to formulate detailed plans, and promote green development in urban and rural construction. Research should be conducted to establish a carbon emission statistical monitoring system for urban and rural construction. A green and low-carbon evaluation index system for cities, counties, communities, and villages should be constructed, and a system and methods for assessment and evaluation should be established.

The meeting pointed out the need to promote the transformation and upgrading of the construction industry. We should improve intelligent construction policies and industrial systems, vigorously develop prefabricated buildings, aiming for prefabricated building area to account for over 25% of new buildings in 2022. We need to promote reform, innovation, and the construction of the rule of law. Deepen the reform of the project approval system for construction projects, and promote the institutionalization and modeling of the whole process of approval. Accelerate the establishment of a new engineering construction standard system centered on mandatory standards. Improve laws and regulations in key areas, and promote the introduction of urban housing security regulations and housing rental regulations.