The central government has devoted its first policy document of 2018, usually referred to as the "No.1 central document," to protecting farmers' land rights in rural development efforts and the urbanization process.
The document, jointly released on Sunday by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, focuses on rural revitalization and describes rural development as a "historic task" essential to accomplishing China's modernization goals, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Among a wide range of issues the key document sought to address was farmers' land rights, which have become an important issue as urbanization moves ahead.
The document listed several measures to protect these land rights, including barring urban residents from purchasing residential plots and preventing private villas and clubs from being built on the farmland.
Such moves are designed to reserve the potential role of the land to be used as the basis for development of rural tourism and the elderly care industry, the 21st Century Business Herald reported on Sunday, citing Han Jun, director of the central agricultural work leading team office.
The central government policy document also pointed out that farmers' rights to their land, residential plots and collective income would be protected even after they choose to relocate to urban areas.
Also, transfer of such rights should be voluntary on the part of the farmers, according to the policy document.
In protecting farmers' land and other rights, the No.1 central document also called for enhanced efforts to fight corruption in rural areas.
