Government and Policy

Hu vows more efforts to help low-income people

By Wang Jingqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-31 07:32

BEIJING - Governments at all levels should invest more money and supply more land to housing projects to provide more affordable homes for low-income people, President Hu Jintao said on Wednesday.

President Hu Jintao chats with a vegetable producer in Beijing on Wednesday ahead of the New Year. He said effective measures must be taken to make sure vegetable prices remain stable. [Photo/Xinhua]

Hu made the remarks while visiting low-income families in Beijing ahead of the New Year, extending good wishes to people nationwide.

Hu visited a family living in a low-rent apartment and an affordable housing project in eastern Beijing on Wednesday morning to inspect government-subsidized housing projects for low-income residents.

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In the two-bedroom apartment where Guo Chunping and her daughter live, Guo told the president that she and her daughter could finally settle down thanks to the low-rent housing policy.

"We didn't have a stable place to live in for years. Now, living in this apartment, we finally feel at home and safe," she said. "The rent is affordable."

The apartment costs her 77 yuan ($11.70) per month.

"I'm glad to see you two have a good place to live. The Party and the government always place great importance on people's livelihoods. We have made efforts and will make more to help needy people," Hu said.

"Government will attach great importance to affordable housing projects, and will carefully supervise the quality of these projects and improve nearby public facilities," he said.

The president then traveled to a major heating plant in southeastern Beijing.

Heating services are critical for people's daily life, especially during winter ahead of the New Year and the Spring Festival, Hu said.

Hu thanked workers at the plant for their hard work and devotion to serving the people, expressing hope they will continue to serve.

The president later inspected a farm supplying organic vegetables for Beijing residents, and emphasized that effective measures must be taken to make sure vegetable prices remain stable.

Earlier on Tuesday when presiding over lectures on economic development attended by members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Hu also stressed the importance of stabilizing prices and boosting employment to ensure the country's development in a comprehensive and sustainable manner.

"We should make efforts to establish a long-term mechanism aimed at increasing domestic consumption," he said.

Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday also assured the people that the government will adopt effective measures to curb inflation and control housing prices.

"The recent rise in housing prices across the country has actually made life even harder for people with low and medium incomes," Wen said. "But we are fully able to keep prices at a reasonable level with a series of measures."

He also said the government will work to increase the supply of affordable housing and strictly control speculation in property.

The country will start to build 10 million units of government-subsidized property in 2011, nearly double this year's 5.8 million units, Wen said.

Housing prices will be back to reasonable levels as a result of these efforts, the premier said.

The consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge to measure inflation, rose to a 28-month high of 5.1 percent year-on-year in November, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

Food price rises contributed to 74 percent of the CPI growth for the month.

In a bid to control inflation, the government has increased the bank reserve requirement ratio six times and lifted interest rates twice this year.

Moreover, authorities have introduced a package of measures including cutting fees for transportation of agricultural products and intensifying the crackdown on food price speculation.

Xinhua contributed to this story.