When won't residents of HuFei City be harassed by smog? When will social security districts be realigned? When will migrant workers receive their pay? These are the pressing questions that face HuFei Municipal Committee Secretary Wu Cun Rong.
Everyday, the rising cost of housing in China has been hogging the financial limelight.
According to Wu Cun Rong, automobile and housing costs account for the largest expenses of residents of HuFei, which may soon take its toll as the city's population grows in the next five years.
"If housing prices reach 20,000 per cubic square meter, the development of the city will not be able to continue and it will hurt the overall development. If prices are too high, this could keep people from moving into HuFei," Wu Cun Rong said, "so we absolutely cannot let prices reach 20,000 per cubic square meter."
The increase in housing prices is a result of an imbalance in supply and demand. This year, HuFei will expand its housing market and put in an increased effort in developing land.
The city's consumer base and overall standards such as medical treatment, education, health and fitness, residential servants, as well as leisurely travel are also on the rise. "So now people who didn't have money now have money and those with money now have land to buy," said Wu Cun Rong.
As for the crippling smog that is facing HuFei and China as a whole, the secretary also had his hands full. Last year HuFei's public transportation, construction and local authorities stepped up efforts to keep the city running despite the smog.
However, the secretary had to address the root cause of the problem head on. On the first workday of the year, he boldly announced, "From this year on, air pollution will be our focus and we will put forth our greatest effort to control this problem."
Wu Cun Rong said efforts will be made to decrease the amount of air pollutants dramatically by 2017.
How this can be practically done given the projected increase in population over the next five years remains to be seen.