Paid Exit from Rural Homestead Land: Voluntariness Is Key

According to media reports, Zhou Jianchun, deputy director of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Land and Resources, recently stated that, in line with the requirements of the pilot reform of the rural homestead land system, people who have settled in cities are allowed to voluntarily exit from or transfer their homestead land within their own collective economic organization on a paid basis, and the orderly transfer of rural land management rights is encouraged.

The key to urbanization is the urbanization of people, not the urbanization of land and household registration. Urbanization must proceed step by step and must not go against farmers' wishes. Under the mechanism linking people with land established by the Ministry of Land and Resources, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and other departments, people who have settled in cities are allowed to voluntarily exit from or transfer their homestead land within their own collective economic organization on a paid basis, and the orderly transfer of rural land management rights is encouraged; this respects the actual conditions in rural areas and the wishes of farmers, and such an approach to urbanization is worth looking forward to. For farmers who are willing to move to cities, who have a specialized skill, and who are capable of living and working comfortably in cities and towns, the cities and towns should open their arms to accept them, provide them with the same treatment as urban residents, and guide them to voluntarily exit, on a paid basis, from their original homestead land, contracted land and rights to collective income distribution. If farmers do not yet meet the conditions for settling in cities and towns, or if they are unwilling to settle there and only wish to work in cities and towns, the cities and towns should also treat them well and provide them with a warm temporary home. If farmers who have moved to cities are temporarily unwilling to exit from their homestead land or transfer their land management rights, hoping to leave themselves a way out, this should also be respected.

In areas lacking the necessary conditions, the pace of urbanization must be controlled, and there must be no greed for grandiose, rapid results. For farmers who are unwilling to "wash their feet and go to the city," their wishes must be respected, they must be guided to become well-off through science, and their lives must be properly arranged.