Second-quarter housing prices in 70 large and medium-sized Chinese cities rose 9.2 percent year-on-year, said the National Development and Reform Commission and the National Bureau of Statistics on July 21.

The rise was 1.8 percentage points less than in the first quarter.

Rentals rose 2.2 percent or 0.1 percentage point more than in the first quarter.

Land transaction costs climbed 10.8 percent, or 5.7 percentage points less than in the first quarter.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2008)