Read in Chinese

Speakers:

Mr. Liu Guohong, vice minister of natural resources and deputy chief inspector of national natural resources

Mr. Yan Zhen, vice administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration)

Mr. Wu Haiyang, chief planner of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR)

Mr. He Guangshun, chief engineer of the MNR

Chairperson:

Ms. Shou Xiaoli, director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO

Date:

Sept. 19, 2024

Shou Xiaoli:

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO) as part of the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we have invited Mr. Liu Guohong, vice minister of natural resources and deputy chief inspector of national natural resources; Mr. Yan Zhen, vice administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration (National Park Administration); Mr. Wu Haiyang, chief planner of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR); and Mr. He Guangshun, chief engineer of the MNR. They will provide briefings on relevant developments and take your questions. 

Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Liu for his briefing. 

Liu Guohong: 

Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning! Thank you for your long-term support and attention to the work of natural resources!

Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the MNR has deeply studied and implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We have integrated development and security, prioritized ecological protection, conserved resources and used them efficiently, and pursued green and low-carbon development, with a view to promoting high-quality development.

First, we have firmly defended the bottom line of resource security. We have prioritized arable land, the cornerstone of food production, by reforming and improving the system for offsetting cultivated land that has been put to other uses. We have promoted the implementation of a responsibility system for arable land protection and food security, and established an economic reward and punishment mechanism. Since 2021, the total amount of arable land nationwide has increased by 17.58 million mu (1.17 million hectares), achieving a net increase for three consecutive years and reversing the long-standing trend of decline. Notably, southern provinces last year saw a net increase of 7.39 million mu, changing the previous pattern of “decrease in the south, increase in the north.” We have also focused on ensuring the supply of key energy and mineral resources, launching a new phase of the resource exploration strategy and advancing reforms in mineral resource management. Since 2021, investment in resource exploration has grown for three consecutive years, leading to a significant boost in reserves and production. Major discoveries include a large oil field with reserves exceeding 100 million tons in Hongde, Gansu province; China’s first deep coalbed methane field with over 100 billion cubic meters of proven reserves at the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin; a super-large lithium deposit in Yajiang county, Sichuan province; and Asia’s largest phosphate mine in Zhenxiong county, Yunnan province.

Second, we have optimized the spatial layout of territorial space. We have further advanced the reform to unify multiple plans into one cohesive national territorial spatial planning system, which at this point has been largely established. General plans for 30 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as 83% of city-level and 84% of county-level plans, have been approved and implemented. Territorial spatial plans for regions, such as the Yangtze River Economic Belt, have been approved. Plans for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Yellow River Basin and the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle are in active development. We have continuously optimized plans for territorial space as well as land-use policies, supporting three major projects: government-subsidized housing, urban village renovation and dual-use public infrastructure that can accommodate emergency needs. Additionally, we have promoted the redevelopment of inefficient urban land to serve new urbanization efforts. Applying the experience gained from the Green Rural Revival Program in Zhejiang Province, we have tailored village plans based on local conditions and have promoted comprehensive land management, supporting rural revitalization. In our efforts to build a strong maritime country, China's gross ocean product reached 9.9 trillion yuan in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 6.0%. We have continued to advance ocean and polar scientific expeditions, with China’s newly built Qinling Station in Antarctica now operational. Significant breakthroughs have been achieved by the polar icebreakers Xuelong and Xuelong 2. China's polar research has spanned 40 years, yielding remarkable accomplishments.

Third, we have promoted green and low-carbon development. We have implemented a comprehensive conservation strategy, strictly controlling the size and standards for construction land use, which since 2012 has led to a cumulative reduction of 45% in land use per unit of GDP. We have promoted green exploration and development, ensuring that all active mines meet the minimum standards for mining recovery, dressing recovery and comprehensive utilization rates —referred to as the "three rates" in the mining sector—for the 125 types of mineral resources involved. We have explored layered and three-dimensional development of marine areas and have strictly controlled new coastal reclamation projects. We have strengthened the supply of natural resource elements, ensuring that major infrastructure and livelihood projects receive necessary land and sea resources. Since the 20th CPC National Congress, China has approved 11.53 million mu of agricultural land conversion and land requisition, as well as the use of 7.39 million mu of sea area. These approvals involved 4,238 transportation projects, 281 water conservancy projects and 4,588 energy projects. We have also completed the construction of 3D real-scene data for approximately three-quarters of China’s land and key islands, providing geospatial data for economic and social development. Furthermore, we have supported the construction of large wind and photovoltaic power bases in deserts, the Gobi and barren areas, guiding the regulated use of marine areas for photovoltaic projects to promote new energy development. We have strengthened ecological protection and restoration by conducting nationwide surveys on the desertification of forests, grasslands and wetlands. We have completed the delineation of ecological protection redlines and have laid out plans for the world’s largest national park system. We have completed the unified property rights registration for 256 important ecological spaces, including the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, and have carried out integrated protection and systematic governance of mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, grasslands and deserts. China's Shan-Shui initiative has been recognized as one of the UN's first ten World Restoration Flagships. 

Fourth, we have safeguarded the rights and interests of resource and assets. We have explored the path of transforming lucid waters and lush mountains into invaluable assets, launched pilot mechanisms to realize the market value of ecosystem goods and services, deepened the reform for collective forest tenure, advanced trials for market-based transfers of rural collective land designated for business construction, and have increased property incomes of rural collective economic entities and rural people. We have given priority to enhancing the facilitation for the registration of immovable property, with single-window inter-agency services for registration, transactions and tax payments being provided in all cities and counties across the country. General registration and mortgage registration can be completed within five working days. We have strengthened the rule of law, advanced the formulation of the national park law, the law on farmland protection and quality improvement and the law on territorial space plans, strictly carried out natural resource inspections and law enforcement, and have safeguarded the order of development and utilization of natural resources as well as the legitimate rights and interests of the people.

Next, we will continue to thoroughly implement the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress and the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, promote the preservation and appropriate development of natural resources, so as to better support high-quality development. 

Next, my colleagues and I will take your questions. Thank you!