“The easy gains have been made; what remains are the tough nuts to crack.” This is the general understanding among NPC and CPPCC members as reforms enter deep waters. As an important part of the blueprint for deepening reform, rural land system reform is definitely one of the “toughest nuts to crack.”

 

　　Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, land system reform has attracted widespread social attention. At this year's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (NPC & CPPCC) sessions, this topic has naturally become a focus of heated discussion among NPC and CPPCC members.

 

　　(1) Land management system reform “most controversial and most divergent” — multiple democratic parties' central committees intensively offer suggestions

 

　　At this year's NPC & CPPCC sessions, motions and proposals on rural land system reform are a major focus.

 

　　The reporter found that among the CPPCC proposals submitted in the name of the central committees of various democratic parties, a considerable proportion are concentrated in this field. Among the 45 proposals submitted by the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society to the Second Session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, 5 involve land system reform, covering areas such as the rural homestead system, confirmation of land contract management rights, governance of small property rights housing, and optimization of urban and rural land resource utilization; among the 47 proposals planned to be submitted by the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, 4 involve land system reform; most of the relevant proposals from the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and the Central Committee of the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League also involve this field.

 

　　The other two major democratic parties, the China Democratic League and the China Zhi Gong Party, respectively submitted in the name of their central committees the “Proposal on Advancing Rural Land System Reform” and the “Proposal on Deepening Rural Land System Reform.” From their respective perspectives, they put forward systematic suggestions for drawing up the reform blueprint and deepening land system reform. At the same time, the Central Committee of the China Democratic League also planned to deliver a speech at the congress on “The land issue is the greatest livelihood issue in rural society — several suggestions on advancing China's rural land system reform.”

 

　　Why has land system reform received such eager attention from the democratic parties? Cai Jiming, a deputy to the National People's Congress and director of the Center for Political Economy at Tsinghua University, who has submitted relevant motions for many years, said that changes in the land system have far-reaching influence and major significance, and the land system is the most important institutional guarantee for accelerating urbanization and agricultural modernization.

 

　　“In the layout of comprehensively deepening reform, rural land system reform has become a key issue, but at the same time it is also one of the fields with the most controversy and the greatest divergence,” pointed out the Central Committee of the China Democratic League in its “Proposal on Advancing Rural Land System Reform.”

 

　　(2) In which direction to reform and how to reform — policy thinking should be clarified as soon as possible and an institutional framework constructed

 

　　After the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, making every effort to accelerate reform has become a consensus across society. The Central Committee of the China Democratic League pointed out in its proposal that, due to many divergences and controversies, “in which direction to reform and how to reform” is the key issue in rural land system reform.

 

　　Cai Jiming pointed out that realizing equal market entry for rural collective commercial construction land and state-owned land, reform of rural homesteads and the corresponding mortgage and transfer of rural housing property, and the resolution of hot issues such as small property rights housing and urban villages all require clear criteria for judgment. For many years, he has repeatedly proposed advancing the revision of the Land Administration Law and other measures.

 

　　Regarding the reform path, the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association proposed that, in accordance with the principles of “controlling the total amount, strictly controlling increments, revitalizing existing stock, and differentiated utilization and management,” land management system reform should be carried out effectively; the work of confirming, registering, and issuing (reissuing) certificates for rural land should be accelerated and improved; the procedures and mechanisms for rural land transfer should be standardized; and at the same time, great attention should be paid to preventing the emergence of large numbers of “three-lost farmers” who have lost jobs, land, and housing.

 

　　The Central Committee of the China Democratic League suggested that policy thinking on “market entry of rural commercial construction land” should be clarified as soon as possible and the system improved. In particular, it is necessary to properly handle the scope of market entry of rural collective commercial construction land, properly grasp the nature of land in the “intermediate zone” between “can” and “cannot” directly enter the market, improve the homestead management system, and properly handle the relationship between market entry of rural collective land and reform of the land expropriation system.

 

　　Some CPPCC members from the agricultural sector pointed out: “Land system reform is of great significance and involves the adjustment of multiple interests; it should be actively yet prudently advanced, and at the same time handled with caution.” In response to the challenges faced in the reform process, they proposed that “land rights confirmation is the foundation, land transfer is the core, and supporting reforms are the guarantee,” and “give consideration to both ‘development’ and ‘fairness’ and improve farmers' land rights and interests.” At the same time, reform must be linked step by step; to achieve breakthroughs, supporting institutional reforms should also be deepened, such as optimizing the layout of urban and rural land resource utilization, improving land rights and functions, and advancing tax system reform.

 

　　(3) “Laying the foundation” is necessary to “benefit the long term” — “top-level design” and “active and prudent pilot projects” in parallel

 

　　No one denies that rural land system reform is a matter with a very strong foundational nature.

 

　　Dong Zuoji, a deputy to the National People's Congress and director of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources, pointed out at a previous forum that promoting the smooth transfer of rural collective land requires solving certain preconditions. First, the revision of laws and regulations should be accelerated so that there are laws to follow; second, it should be advanced in parallel and in coordination with reform of the land expropriation system; third, a reasonable income distribution system should be established, the core of which is still the issue of benefit distribution.

 

　　The core of these preconditions is benefit distribution, and the key is to give consideration to both “development” and “fairness.”

 

　　Regarding how to consolidate the foundation of land system reform and improve land rights and functions, the Jiusan Society proposed in its “Suggestions on Improving the Rights and Functions of Rural Homestead Use Rights” that homestead management should be strengthened; on the basis of land surveys to ascertain the actual situation, the formulation and implementation of urban and rural planning should be done well; the requirements of “one household, one homestead” and limits on homestead area should be strictly implemented; rural land system reform of “confirming rights, issuing certificates, and returning rights to empower” should be steadily carried out; pilot reform of the homestead system should be advanced; in accordance with the principles of legality, compensation, and voluntariness, an exit mechanism for rural land should be explored; and in coordination with institutional innovations such as linking urban and rural land increases and decreases, linking people and land, and balancing occupation and compensation, and on the premise of ensuring that farmland productivity does not decline, the area of rural homesteads should be gradually reduced according to the current situation and trends of population distribution and mobility, while urban construction land and farmland should be increased in a way that takes the overall situation into account and adapts to local conditions, so as to achieve rational allocation of land and population.

 

　　Regarding issues such as pioneering trials and how to summarize and promote pilot experience, Chen Xiwen, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy director of the Central Rural Work Leading Group Office, emphasized that “collective ownership, agricultural use of farmland, and not harming farmers' basic rights and interests” are the three bottom lines. He pointed out that “in principle, pilot areas should experiment within a closed scope, observe calmly, and operate steadily to see whether it really works. The purpose of putting overall issues into local experiments is to reduce shocks to society.”