Government departments at all levels should steadily push forward housing reforms and hasten housing construction, said Chinese Vice Premier Wen Jiabao during his inspection tour of two residential quarters in Beijing on December 5.

He pointed out that housing construction, as a new economic growth point, will meet the needs of the people and stimulate economic development.

Wen asked government departments to take effective measures to accelerate housing construction, improve housing quality, create a favorable environment for residential quarters, improve real estate management, and steadily push forward housing reforms.

The Beijing municipal government has pushed housing construction in recent years. Through October, Beijing had started to build 4.5 million square meters of government-subsidied houses, with 1.5 million square meters to be completed before the end of this year, and one million square meters of houses presold.

Beijing Mayor Liu Qi and Minister of Construction Yu Zhengsheng accompanied Wen Jiabao on his inspection tour.