China’s central government has revealed its plan to step up control of illegal land development, after the number of land abuse cases increased last year.
Several reports noted that authorities from the Chinese land ministry recently held meetings with senior land officials in nine provincial governments, including Shanghai and Guangzhou, in order to examine and address the abuses.
Last year, the cases of illegal land use increased 5.8 percent to 70,000, involving around 50,000-ha of land.
The soaring values of property and land in the country have spurred officials and developers to aggressively obtain land for new developments in both rural and urban areas, sometimes angering villagers and local residents.
One prominent example is the case in the southern Chinese village of Wukan, Guangdong province, in which villagers rebelled against land grabs. The longstanding feud that ensued was defused when provincial authorities granted the villagers key concessions.
The supervisor of state land in Guangdong promised to re-examine illegal land use cases and to “comprehensively supervise and reform” the role of the agency.
Due to limited supply and great demand for land amid rampant economic development, the number of illegal land use cases especially for large developments has been high, particularly in western China, said Li Jianqin, Land Resources Enforcement Director.
“For supervising land issues, a communication mechanism is crucial, and it’s very important to see vigorous supervision at a regional level,” added Li.
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