No Great Leap Forward for Land Transfer: Xi Jinping Stresses This

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently issued important instructions on farmland protection.

The policy of balancing farmland occupation with compensation is a remedial measure

Xi Jinping stressed that farmland is China's most precious resource. The basic national condition that China has a large population but little land determines that we must protect the farmland that concerns the vital matter of food for more than a billion people, and there must be no mishap. We must implement the strictest farmland protection system, do a good job of balancing farmland occupation with compensation in accordance with laws and regulations, advance rural land transfer in a standardized and orderly manner, and protect farmland as we protect giant pandas.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the policy of balancing farmland occupation with compensation is a remedial measure for the ever-expanding occupation of farmland by industrialization and urbanization. It is permitted by national laws and policies, but this work must be done with a strong awareness of farmland protection and strictly in accordance with laws and regulations. More forceful measures must be taken to strengthen supervision of the balancing of farmland occupation with compensation, resolutely prevent problems in the balancing of farmland occupation with compensation such as insufficient quantity of compensation and inadequate quality of compensation, and resolutely prevent the phenomena of occupying more and compensating less, occupying superior land and compensating with inferior land, and occupying paddy fields and compensating with dry land. In the pilot reform of the rural land system, checks must be well maintained, and some people must not be allowed to occupy farmland in the name of reform. Regarding new situations and new problems in the balancing of farmland occupation with compensation and farmland protection, investigation and research must be strengthened, and effective countermeasures must be proposed.

No coercive orders, no blind administrative direction

Xi Jinping stressed that land transfer and various forms of large-scale operation are the only way to develop modern agriculture and are also the basic direction of rural reform. In the practice of land transfer, all regions must be required to implement the policies and guidelines determined by the Party Central Committee exactly as they are, both increasing policy support and encouraging innovation in agricultural operation systems and mechanisms, and adapting measures to local conditions and proceeding step by step, without launching a Great Leap Forward, without coercive orders, and without blind administrative direction. In particular, it is necessary to prevent some industrial and commercial capital from engaging in non-agricultural construction after entering rural land transfer, affecting farmland protection and grain production, and other such problems. Attention must be paid to improving laws and regulations on land contracting, implementing policies supporting grain production, improving supervision and risk prevention mechanisms, strengthening the construction of township and rural operation and management systems, promoting standardized and orderly land transfer, and truly stimulating farmers' enthusiasm for agricultural production, especially grain production.