Flimsy new buildings have little appeal

Problems with construction quality of buildings are a more critical issue for Beijing's real estate market than high prices.

"China builds the largest number of new buildings every year, but they will only stand for 25 to 30 years," Qiu Baoxing, vice-minister of Housing and Urban-rural Development Administration, said at a recent international forum on green and energy-efficient buildings.

The growth in China's real estate market has not been accompanied by an increase in quality. There are more quality problems now than 20 or 30 years ago, he said.