The State Council has asked Northeast China to speed up renovation of local slums or relocation of residents in the slums.

In a circular issued on Tuesday, the State Council asked Northeast China to renovate 700,000 homes in rundown areas this year. It also said the central government has arranged 60 billion yuan ($9.8 billion) in loans to help the region renovate its slums this year.

Additionally, the region should push forward the relocation or renovation of old industrial areas and mining areas to attract people to live there. The central government has decided to set aside 2 billion yuan from its budget annually to support this cause.