Speech by Xu Shaoshi, Minister of Land and Resources

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Good morning.

I'm very glad to be here and meet the press. First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Land and Resources, I'd like to thank the friends from the media for your attention to and support for our work on land and resources over the past years. During my incumbency at the General Office of the State Council, you have granted me much support and help; now as the Minister of Land and Resources and the State Land Inspector-General, I believe you will continue to support my work. Next I'd like to brief you on the progress of implementation of the State Land Inspection System.

It has been a year since the Notice of the General Office of the State Council on Relevant Issues concerning the Establishment of the State Land Inspection System (No.50) was issued and the State Land Inspection System established in July 2006.

During the past year, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to the organization and implementation of the State Land Inspection System. General Secretary Hu Jintao has incorporated the establishment of the State Land Inspection System as an important part of the establishment and improvement of the Scientific View on Development; Premier Wen Jiabao articulated while chairing an Executive Meeting of the State Council last year that “the implementation of the State Land Inspection System should be accelerated”, and reiterated in this year's Government Work Report that “the land management liability system needs to be strictly followed and the State Land Inspection System should be implemented”; Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan has given important instructions to the organization and implementation of the State Land Inspection System, and raised the four-word requirements of “being strict, transparent, diligent and honest” for the State Land Inspection work while meeting related officials and personnel at Ziguangge in Zhongnanhai last December. The special attention from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council has laid a solid foundation for the organization and implementation work of the State Land Inspection System.

During the past year, the organization and implementation work of the State Land Inspection System has received strong support from the party committees and local governments at all levels. Head officials of provinces and cities involved vowed to firmly uphold the major measures made by the Party Central Committee and the State Council to strengthen land management, to actively support the State Land Inspection work, and to adopt stricter measures to better control and manage land use. In places where national land inspection bureau are located, the local Party committees and governments have created favorable conditions and environment for the establishment of the inspection bureaus.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land and Resources actively advanced the organization and implementation work of the State Land Inspection System. Despite the difficulties of insufficient staff and heavy work load, the state land inspection bureaus carried out the work in an orderly manner according to the requirement of “working while teaming.” As a result, institutional building was accelerated, land inspection carried out, and infrastructure construction strengthened. All in all, the organization and implementation work of the State Land Inspection System has proceeded smoothly. In terms of land inspection, we mainly did the following work:

First, key inspection was carried out on the implementation of the liability system of arable land protection. The field work inspection has proceeded since the end of last year in some provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and cities specifically designated in the state plan. Suggestions have been presented to related local governments on such problems as deficient responsibility target, unclear responsibility bearer, incomplete responsibility system, and lack of examination. The local governments have improved the work and signed new target responsibility documents on arable land protection in line with new policy requirements, and some of them are stepping up to formulate detailed examination measures. Thus the protection of arable land has been strengthened, and remarkable achievements made in key inspection.

Second, special inspections were carried out to tackle outstanding problems. Rectification opinion letters were sent to the governments of Beijing Municipality , Henan Province, Yunnan Province and Dalian City during the first half of this year on violations such as “replacing land requisition with leasing”, making arbitrary adjustment to plans, occupying basic farm land illegally, using land without approval, etc. With great attention from related local governments, rectification work has been basically in place.

Third, surveys and researches were carried out, including comprehensive survey about arable land protection in every province, autonomous region, municipality and specially designated city, and special study based on a general knowledge of the current situation about the problems of arbitrary establishment and expansion of development zones. The surveys and researches have laid a solid foundation for the next stage of special inspection through discovering outstanding problems and understanding the actual situation.

We've just made a good beginning in the state land inspection work with the progress achieved, and more efforts shall be made in the next stage. We will conduct special inspections based on the result of research about the problems of arbitrarily establishing and expanding of development zones, leaving large areas of construction land unused, and acting against land supply policies. We'll also focus on the implementation of the annual land use plan, inspect the implementation of the arable land protection targets in 2007 of local government in provinces and specially designated cities to ensure that the national line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land won't be crossed.

During the past year, the Ministry of Land and Resources, together with other competent ministries and departments, conscientiously implemented the Notice of the State Council on Issues concerning the Strengthening of Land Regulation (No.31), and made substantial progress in adjusting the approving method of urban construction land, safeguarding the current life and long-term livelihood of farmers whose land is requisitioned, standardizing income and expense management of land assignment, adjusting the tax policies on construction land, setting up minimum price releasing system for land assignment for industrial purpose, and punishing violations.

Our present work is focused on the following aspects:

First, we shall seriously study the policy suggestions on the economical and intensive land use, and try to better the control, awarding, supervision and responsibility policies.

Second, we shall step up on the second national land survey to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of statistics.

Third, we will do our best in the edition of land use masterplan.

Fourth, we will continue to control strictly land use approval, examine all forms of construction land according to the law and regulations, in order to protect the rights of farmers whose land is requisitioned.

Fifth, we shall further enhance the enforcement of the law concerning land, and concentrate efforts to investigate and deal with cases of land use violation.

So much for the brief. And now, my colleagues and I are ready to take questions.