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(2) Law Amendment to be Made to Tighten Controls over Land-Use
[CND, 04/28/98] The Chinese National People's Congress Standing Committee
was to make a law amendment on Sunday to tackle the country's serious
problems with land-use, AFP reported. The existing law, according to the
Land and Natural Resources Ministry, "failed to meet the needs for
enforcing land management".
Powers over land-use have long been held by the local authorities who
often illegally occupy and use the country's scarce cultivatable land for
construction projects. A year ago, Beijing issued an emergency ban on any
new farmland use for non-agricultural projects. But, "major problems"
have been encountered in enforcing the ban, the Ministry said.
In the amendment, the country's interests will be defined as the "top
priority" and all relevant decisions will be integrated into national
planning. The amendment is expected to "play a decisive role in protecting
land resources