Multiple major cities in China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hangzhou, Xian, Chengdu and Shenzhen, have eased or removed home purchase restrictions to further release the housing demand and promote the real estate market.
Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang in east China, announced on Thursday the full removal of earlier restrictions related to home purchases.
The new policy eliminated the review of qualifications of home buyers. Individuals without any property in the district of their purchase, or those who own only one home and are attempting to sell it, will now qualify for special mortgage benefits.
Non-local residents who acquire legal property rights in Hangzhou are also eligible to apply for residency, aligning with the city's strategy to deepen the housing and land linkage mechanism.
On the first day after the new policy took effect, major real estate agencies in Hangzhou received a high volume of inquiries from potential home buyers.
"The new policy announced today aroused my interest, and I had already intended to buy a house before. So, I decided to take the time to come and check out some properties today," said Wan Zhilin, a Hangzhou resident.
Xian, the provincial capital of Shaanxi in the northwest, announced similar measures on Thursday. The city will stop reviewing the eligibility of home buyers for both new and second-hand homes.
Xian has also reduced the minimum down payment ratios for first-home and second-home purchases to 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively. Families with two or more children are now eligible to apply for a maximum home loan, which has been increased to 1.2 times the existing loan limit.
According to data from real estate platforms, during the May Day holiday from May 1 to 5, the daily average transaction volume of second-hand homes in Beijing increased by 43 percent year on year. Chengdu saw an increase of 28 percent and Tianjin 19 percent.
Multiple major Chinese cities ease or remove home-buying restrictions to boost property market
Lai Ching-te has sent a dangerous signal of seeking "Taiwan independence" and making provocations to undermine cross-Strait peace and stability in his first speech upon assuming the role of Taiwan region's new leader on Monday, according to scholars and commentators.
Many in China's Taiwan region have pointed out that while Lai Ching-te's speeches have repeatedly emphasized the importance of peace for Taiwan, they see no concrete action on how to achieve it.
"He does not listen to public opinion and displays great arrogance. He blatantly intends to continue pursuing the 'two states' theory and will attempt to solicit U.S. support for 'Taiwan independence'. [He] disregards the desire of Taiwan for easing the situation in cross-Straits relations, which will create new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait," said You Zixiang, a professor at Shih Hsin University.
"After listening to his entire speech, I feel that not only did he fail to express any genuine intentions for peaceful coexistence and common prosperity, but he used the concept of peaceful coexistence and common prosperity as a cover and disguise for creating a 'peaceful division'," said Wang Bingzhong, a commentator in the Taiwan region.
In the Taiwan region, there is growing concern across various sectors that future opportunities for communication between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will become increasingly scarce.
"[The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities] are deepening the roots of political hatred. I think that since Taiwan has already experienced the tragic 'White Terror' in the past, why should we embark on a journey of 'Green Terror'?" said Chi Chia-Lin, president of the Reunification Alliance Party.
"I'm actually very concerned. Lai Ching-te's staffing arrangements have revealed his extreme ideology, and it seems that he will continue to put stress on cross-Strait relations," said Shi Xueqin, a student at Chi Nan University in Taiwan.
Lai sends dangerous signal in first speech as Taiwan's new leader: scholars, commentators
