Chen Yajun, director of the Planning Department of the National Development and Reform Commission: There are 7 major problems in the development of characteristic towns that need to be prevented

Chen Yajun, director of the Planning Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in his keynote speech at the 2018 Industrial Development Summit Forum of Small (City) Towns with Chinese Characteristics that there are currently 7 major problems to be solved in the development of characteristic towns. (People's Daily Zhang Guigui/Photo)

On the morning of the 28th, the 2018 Small (City) Town Industrial Development Summit Forum with Chinese Characteristics was held in Beijing. Chen Yajun, director of the Planning Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed out in his keynote speech entitled "Promoting the Standardized and Orderly Development of Characteristic Towns" that in the process of promoting the construction of characteristic towns, there have been some tendentious problems that deserve attention and vigilance.

As the research and formulation department of urbanization development strategy and major policies, and as the leading department of the joint meeting on the layout of promoting new urbanization, the National Development and Reform Commission has closely tracked the construction of characteristic towns in various regions in recent years and carried out extensive and in-depth investigation and research.

Chen Yajun pointed out that the current problems in the development of characteristic towns are mainly manifested in seven aspects: the concept positioning is not clear, the quality caused by blind development is not high, the homogenization is featureless, the degree of marketization under the leadership of the government is not enough, the focus on image engineering, blind debt to increase risks, and the real estate brought about by excessive participation of housing enterprises.

"As a new thing, characteristic towns are an attempt to supply-side structural reform in the field of new urbanization. If the development is good, it can not only produce a new economy and new momentum, but also create a new development space suitable for living and working. But if it is not developed properly, the problem of waste of resources and environmental damage caused by a large amount of energy may be more difficult to deal with than the disease of large cities. Chen Yajun said that on the basis of researching and summarizing experience and finding deviations, the NDRC has specially formulated two documents, "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Characteristic Towns" and "Several Opinions on Standardizing and Promoting the Construction of Characteristic Towns and Small Towns".

Among them, the purpose of the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Characteristic Towns" is to clarify the development direction of characteristic towns, clearly define the morphological views of characteristic towns and small towns in the document, and emphasize that we must adhere to innovation and exploration, prevent wearing new shoes and take the old road, and adhere to local conditions; to prevent rushing to the top, we must adhere to industrial construction; to prevent a thousand towns, we must adhere to people-oriented, and prevent image projects.

At the same time, the document proposes to adhere to the basic principle of "five wants and five don'ts" of market leadership and prevent the government from taking over the big package, and puts forward clear development directions and main measures in 9 aspects, such as exploring new paths for urban development, creating a new platform for industrial development, and cultivating new momentum for economic development.

Chen Yajun said: The core essence of the document is to use new development to guide the construction of characteristic towns and characteristic small towns, standardize and guide the characteristic towns and small towns in various regions to move forward along the track of the policy, and be both active and prudent, but also solid and orderly, and must not blindly blow the wind, let alone blossom everywhere.

In view of the above problems and the deep-seated causes of these problems, the National Development and Reform Commission and relevant departments issued the "Several Opinions on Standardizing and Promoting the Construction of Characteristic Towns and Characteristic Small Towns" on December 4, 2017, which put forward ten specific measures, covering accurately grasping the connotation of characteristic towns, reasonably learning from Zhejiang's experience, focusing on creating distinctive characteristics, effectively promoting the integration of three-life, clarifying the boundaries between the government and the market, implementing the creation of a standard system, strictly controlling government debt risks, and strictly controlling real estate tendencies. Strict conservation of intensive land, strict protection of ecological redlines and other 10 aspects.

"This is the general direction of standardizing and promoting the construction of characteristic towns in the coming period, and it is also the general requirement for the actual operation of local governments." Chen Yajun finally said.