A research panel comprising senior officials of the housing and related departments recently began reviewing the effects of the past decade's housing reform in order to "modify the process and prepare the next step". The second housing reform needs to be discussed by the public at various levels so that possible flaws are eliminated and its implementation is successful, says an article on xinhuanet.com. Excerpts:

As part of the national housing reform that began in 1998, privatization of the housing sector has helped the real estate industry prosper in urban areas and affected different social groups in different ways. It has played a catalyst to some acute social conflicts, too.

The government has appointed a panel of experts and officials to decide the course of the reform in the next phase and ensure the plan is foolproof. And the next phase will only be successful if the right factors are retained and the harmful and doubtful aspects are eliminated.

Reform is a more complicated process than revolution, which sweeps everything out at once. A reform process is always spiral, which means it is very difficult to avoid mistakes. There is no best in reform, only better, and constant modification in practice and reference to history can shape the better approach.

The task of evaluating the target achievements, as well as unintentional byproducts of the housing reform should not be the sole preserve of governmental officials, scholars and experts who operate behind closed doors.

Instead, it should be shared by the public through free discussions at various levels. Every citizen should have the right to express his/her opinion on the second phase of reform because public scrutiny of its blueprint can help it become more feasible and adaptive to real situations, and free it of corruption during its implementation.

Some parts of the "second housing reform" need to be especially scrutinized. The low-income housing policy needs to be clarified so that it can be implemented efficiently in order to ensure social justice. Nevertheless, the market-oriented direction of the reform has to be maintained, and governmental supervision and regulation should be imposed to prevent manipulation by large market syndicates.