China Land Reform

Anticipation of land reform is running high in China, where a uniqueland system has hobbled urbanization.

Whether farmers will be granted the right to more money through trading their land is keyto revitalizing the rural economy and speeding up urbanization the government has beenpushing for years.

Details of land reform are widely expected to emerge from the upcoming plenary sessionof the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee.

The land system is a fundamental institution that affects a country's overall economicdevelopment. The ruling party's decisions on the land reform will change the current landlaws and regulations, said Zheng Fengtian, vice dean of the School of AgriculturalEconomics and Rural Development at Renmin University of China.

According to Chinese law, urban land is owned by the state and rural land is undercollective ownership. Farmers use the land but have no right to sell or develop it.