Policy digest

State Council decides to tackle shanty towns

The State Council, China's Cabinet, decided at an executive meeting on May 24 that China will rebuild 15 million units of housing in a shanty town transformation drive. The meeting, presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, said the country will carry out a plan (from 2018-20) for rebuilding shanty towns, or settlements of improvised housing, nationwide and the central government will increase fiscal support for the project. Preferential financial and land policies will be devised and innovation will be encouraged to support the program, according to the meeting. In 2014, China set a goal of reconstructing shanty towns and "urban villages" - less developed rural areas remaining in a fast-urbanized city - to accommodate 100 million people.

Reform to improve vocational qualification