China, with a population of 1.3 billion and limited natural resources, should adopt a sustainable development strategy for building houses, construction minister Yu Zhengsheng said on Wednesday.

"The blind construction of big and luxurious apartments and houses was not a good choice, considering the actual situation in China," Yu said. "Most Chinese people are not well-off enough to afford apartments ranging from 200 to 300 square meters."

Yu made the remarks in Beijing in a keynote speech that kicked off a two-day workshop on human settlements and environmental development.

A housing boom is expected to continue until 2010 as the ministry strives to achieve the target of 23 square metres of living space for every urban resident.

The ministry recently promulgated its long-term plan in which China expects to build 8.4 billion square metres of housing over the next 10 years.

Economic research indicates that urban residents will begin to spend more on housing when their average annual income reaches US$800 to US$1,500.

The gross domestic product (GDP) per capita stood at 5,598 yuan (US$676) last year. The figure is expected to double by 2010.

Yu reminded more than 300 participants, including officials and experts, of their duties in saving historic relics and protecting the environment as the urbanization drive quickens in China.

The country currently has 663 cities, four times more than in 1980.

By the end of last year, China's urban population had increased to 456 million, more than one-third of the country's total, compared with 57.6 million half a century ago.

At Wednesday's workshop, Yu also expressed concerns over survey results indicating that some builders haven't followed professional guidelines during the construction process.

"The recent survey by our ministry shows that some buildings finished in 2000 haven't been constructed in accordance with construction processing regulations," Yu said.

Therefore, he said, one of his ministry's priorities is to strengthen the enforcement of regulations related to building enterprises.

Also on Wednesday, the third Public and Municipal Infrastructure Exhibition opened in Beijing. It was jointly organized by the ministry's Urban Construction Department and Information Center.

(China Daily October 25, 2001)