Beijing urges local governments to start affordable housing projects

China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development pushed back the required starting date for affordable housing projects by one month and urged local governments to more fully commit themselves to the developments, the Wall Street Journal reported. The new deadline requires projects to begin by November, one month later than the previous deadline. In a statement, Housing Minister Jiang Jianxin reminded local governments that affordable housing “is not only an economic mission, it is a political mission.” Under the 12th Five Year Plan, Beijing has pledged to construct 36 million social housing units by the end of 2015. However, state media reported that just 30% of the 10 million units targeted to begin this year had actually been started by the end of the May.