Constructing Well-off China with Goals of “Home to Live in” ---- Economist Forum to Hold in Beijing

The economist forum ----“Constructing Well-off China with goals of ‘Home to Live in’”, sponsored by National Academy of Economic Strategy (NAES)and Social Sciences Academic Press of CASS, and co-organized by China Real Estate Business and Yangtse Evening, was held in CASS academic hall on December 13, 2012. This forum also released two intermittent achievements of National Social Science Fund: Probe into the Development Mode of Low-income Settlements in the Urbanization Process ---- the Experience of Shantytowns Reconstruction in Liaoning and the Annual Report on Development of Housing Market in China (2012-2013), and held a seminar on economist real estate development. The forum was hosted by Shi Dan, Vice President of NAES of CASS. Li Shenming, Vice President of CASS attended the conference and made an important speech; Gao Peiyong, President of NAES of CASS made welcoming address on the forum; Shan Dawei, General Manager of China Real Estate Business, Wang Wenjian, Deputy Editor-in-chief of Yangtse Evening, and Cai Jihui, President Assistant of Social Sciences Academic Press made their speeches respectively.

Other economists and researchers present on the forum include Jing Renzhong, Vice President of Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Wang Hongwei, Vice President of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Liu Hongyu, Director of Real Estate Research Institute of Tsinghua University, Yang Shengming, Commissioner of CASS, Yang Jirui, President of Chongqing Technology and Business University, Jia Shenghua, Director of Real Estate Research Institute of Zhejiang University, Jia Kang, Director of Finance Scientific Institute of Ministry of Finance, Gao Bo, Director of Real Estate Research Institute of Nanjing University, Gao Peiyong, President of NAES of CASS, Pei Changhong, Director of Institute of Economics of CASS, and Ni Pengfei, Director of Center for City and Competitiveness of CASS. Press representatives present include those from Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, CCTV, Guangming Daily, Economic Daily, Economic Information Daily, Social Sciences in China, People’s Daily Online, Xinhuanet, China Net, Guangming Net, China Economy Net, Chinese Social Sciences Net, China Economic Weekly, and Finance Weekly.

At first, the forum launched a new book, named Probe into the Development Mode of Low-income Settlements in the Urbanization Process ---- the Experience of Shantytowns Reconstruction in Liaoning. This book, written by CASS and UN-HABITAT together, is the world’s first academic monograph summarizing the experiences on China shantytowns reconstruction. Chen Fei and other members of this research group introduced the book contents: 1) urbanization bonus is the best one in China future development, but city disease is the biggest challenge for urbanization; 2) the housing is the first urban disease; 3) Liaoning shantytowns reconstruction is a comprehensive experiment to prevent urban diseases. The best policy value of Liaoning shantytowns reconstruction is to overcome urban diseases, develop low-income settlements, adhere to comprehensive, systematic and sustainable philosophy and methods, and “government-dominating and market-operating” system and mode, make strategies and plans that “all factors are considered”, and systems and policies of “constructing ancillary facilities to benefit people for long”, and carry out management and services of “normalization, order, human-oriented and self-governance”. Ten economists present made in-depth discussions on practical explorations on Liaoning shantytown reconstruction, experience references of overcoming and preventing urban diseases, establishment of China’s housing insurance system, and experience references on constructing well-off China with goals of “home to live in”. The experts said, “this is the world’s first academic monograph summarizing experiences on China shantytown reconstruction; Liaoning shantytown reconstruction explores complete solutions to solve urban diseases and low income residents’ housing issues; it has important theoretical and practical meanings in preventing urban diseases, establishing China’s housing insurance system, and constructing well-off China with goals of “home to live in”.

Later, the forum launched another book, named Annual Report on Development of Housing Market in China (2012-2013). Ni Pengfei and other members of this research group introduced the book contents: 1) the macro economy growth in 2012 was partially offset by the real estate industry, but no longer over-dependent on it; 2) the housing market regulation in 2012 reached its next-best target that housing prices were comparatively decreased; 3) the development trend of 2013 China housing market is stably growing but with small fluctuations; 4) 2013 China housing market is vulnerable to both “overall rebound” and “partial collapse” risks at the same time; 5) the target task of China housing market regulation in 2013 is to expect rational return of real estate market, and keep real estate market stable but a little growth.

At last, the forum made an academic symposium on real estate development participated by ten economists. The symposium talked about China economy trend and prospect after “18th CPC National Congress”, useful and practical experiences learnt from Liaoning shantytowns reconstruction to establish China’s housing insurance system, urban diseases and other challenges occurred in urbanization process, how to balance “stable growth” and “housing price control”, how to defoam the real estate industry, how to make nationwide reforms on taxation system of the real estate industry, and some other topics.