Affordable housing covers 20% of China by 2015

BEIJING - By 2015, the coverage of indemnificatory housing across China will reach 20 percent, said the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2012-2015) released Monday by the Information Office of China's State Council.

The government will formulate basic housing security regulations, and improve the construction, distribution, management and exit system of indemnificatory housing, the plan said.

Moreover, efforts will be made to speed up the construction of low-rent housing, public rental housing, affordable housing and other types of indemnificatory house, and promote the rebuilding of shanty areas in cities, the plan said.

In so doing, China aims to basically solve the housing problem of low- and lower-middle-income urban families, lessen the housing difficulties of new employees and improve the living conditions of migrant workers, according to the document.

The plan pledged to speed up the transformation of shanty areas in forest, reclamation and coal-mining regions. During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China will renovate dilapidated housing for 815,300 families in forest areas.

The government will help impoverished farmer households solve housing safety problems. Efforts will also be made to bring into play the guiding role of government financial subsidies in establishing a long-term mechanism for rural dilapidated house transformation, the plan said.

The government plans to help five million impoverished farmer households upgrade their dilapidated houses from 2012 to 2015.