China will continue the tight control over construction land supply next year. For this purpose, a national supervisor-general will be in place who will appoint local supervisors.

Governors of provinces will also be supposed to be responsible for the conservation of farm land. An evaluation system will put the implementation of land protection policies under close watch. Violations of laws and regulations will face penalties.

The new package devised to protect land effectively also includes a new system of collection of charges payable for newly approved construction land. No default will be allowed. And the payment due in 2003 will be settled.

All of this has been revealed by Li Yuan, Chinese Vice Minister of Land and Resources. He highlighted a dual-control strategy in a bid to both protect the farm land and control construction land.

This means that the existing farm land must be kept well in terms of acreage and quality. Approval for any newly added construction land will be very careful and adjustment of structure and layout will be conducted. A classified land use program and evaluation system will be designed.

Whether a project will be given a nod depends on its compliance with the planning and its financial power to fulfill its legal obligations. Check-ups will be done if an approval is granted.

In the meantime, efforts will be made on improving the efficiency of land use. Market access, economic levers and land supply polices will make a three-dimensioned mechanism to adjust the land use structure.

The Ministry of Land and Resources will investigate around the country into idle land and land which has been approved but actually not available. Further research will be done on measures to use the existing land more rationally.

Li added that the country would further regulate the land market and have the paid land use system applicable to more land use purposes. The mechanism of bidding and auctioning of land use rights for business purpose will be consolidated.

The vice minister urged local governments to speed up the establishment of a uniformed system for classification, survey, registration and statistics of land. Pilot projects for setting up special funds of revenue of state-owned land and promotion of paid land use for infrastructure for business purpose should be launched.

He also required a faster progress on setting the minimum prices for land transfers through agreements. The country is trying to use its land resources in a concentrated way.

Together with credit, land is on the spotlight of this round of macro-control campaign underway in China. 70.1 percent of development zones have been cancelled so far this year. And increase of grain production has been reported for the first time in seven years.

By people's Daily Online