China's housing ministry has ordered construction to begin for all affordable housing projects before the end of September, the China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has also requested that more than 60 percent of the projects be finished or nearly finished before the end of the year.

In addition, the ministry has sought to reduce or eliminate taxes for those projects in a move to boost the supply of affordable housing.

Beijing has repeatedly vowed to curb excessively fast real estate price rises in big cities by increasing the supply of affordable houses while clamping down on speculative purchases.

(Reporting by Ruby Lian and Jacqueling Wong; Editing by Ken Wills)

China