Shou Xiaoli:

Thanks for the introduction from Mr. Liu. Now the floor is open to questions.

CCTV:

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has proposed to promote integrated urban-rural development and has made systematic arrangements for deepening reform of the land system. What implementation measures will be taken by the MNR? 

Liu Guohong:

Thanks to the reporter from CCTV for your attention to this question.

Integrated urban and rural development is essential to Chinese modernization, and urban and rural development depends on the guarantee of land element. In accordance with the arrangements made by the third plenary session, we will focus on implementing the strategies of new industrialization, new urbanization and rural revitalization. On the premise of keeping the public ownership of land unchanged, not crossing the red line of arable land and not damaging the interests of farmers, we will deepen the reform of the land system in three ways, so as to better optimize the allocation and make efficient use of urban and rural land resources, promoting shared prosperity and development in urban and rural areas.

First, based on ensuring that the red line for protecting farmland is not crossed, we have reformed and refined the system for offsetting arable land that has been put to other uses. In view of the new situation with arable land protection in recent years, all types of farmland used for other purposes must be placed under the system’s management in a unified manner. The principle must be upheld that the farmland occupied for other purposes must be offset equally with newly opened-up farmland. We will strengthen the management and control of dynamic equilibrium for the total of arable land. We will improve both incentive and constraint mechanisms, take the balance between the occupation and replenishment of farmland as an important part of the assessment of provincial Party committees and governments’ responsibility system for arable land protection and food security, and implement the economic reward and punishment mechanism for arable land protection, so as to ensure that regions protecting arable land will not suffer losses and farmers protecting arable land will receive benefits.

Second, based on efficient alignment with macro policies and the needs of regional development, we will refine construction land management systems. Focusing on the implementation of a coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies and the functional zoning strategy. In accordance with the resource endowments and functions of different regions, we will ensure more precise guarantee ability of land elements, creating greater development space for regions with a competitive edge. At the same time, we will focus on advancing a new type of urbanization that should be people-centered, and establish a coordination mechanism to link increases in urban construction land quotas for cities with the growth of permanent residents.

Third, based on advancing more economical, intensive and efficient use of land, we will improve the policy system for putting idle and inefficiently used land to better use. We will speed up developing a unified market for urban and rural land that is designated for construction, promote orderly reforms for market-based transfers of rural collective land that is designated for business construction, make better use of idle land in rural areas, and ensure the land-use needs in pursuing all-around rural revitalization. We will improve trading rules and transaction service platforms for the secondary market of construction land as well as will promote the trading of idle land’s use rights. In addition, we will improve the policy system for putting idle land into better use. We will better coordinate strategies and plans, guiding the idle and inefficiently used land to be better used in an orderly manner. We will refine the land acquisition and storage mechanism as well as give better play to the role of reserves for development and regulation of supply. We will increase policy incentives, advance mixed development and composite use of land and explore changes in land usage when appropriate, with the aim of continuously enhancing efficiency in land use.