The Beijing News:

We all know that China has a large population but scarce land, so while we adhere to the system of providing the strictest possible protection for farmland, we also try to stick to promoting the most efficient use of land. May I ask what results have been achieved in promoting efficient and intensive use of land and what are the next steps? Thank you.

Liu Guohong:

Thanks for your question. As we all know, the efficient and intensive use of land is not only an inherent requirement for green transformation and high-quality development but also a practical requirement for the protection of farmland, which is of great significance.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has given essential instructions on the efficient and intensive use of land on many occasions. In particular, he stressed that it is necessary to adhere to intensive development, define the total amount, limit the capacity, put idle land into use, optimize the increment, and improve the quality. Not long ago, the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform reviewed and adopted opinions on comprehensively strengthening the resource conservation work, making new arrangements for the conservation and utilization of resources with high efficiency and creating higher demands.

We have firmly implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and the decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and taken a series of measures to better conserve land resources and use them efficiently.

First, we have strengthened planning and regulation. We have formulated and implemented the territorial space plan by integrating various plans into one. We have optimized the spatial pattern, coordinated the land use needs of various industries, and scientifically delineated boundaries for urban development, which will, in turn, spur the intensive urban development.

Second, we evaluate strictly. We have strengthened the evaluation of various construction projects in terms of the economical use of land and strictly implemented standards for land use quotas. We have strengthened the review, approval, and monitoring of land use in economic development zones. From 2012 to 2020, the overall plot ratio of national economic development zones increased from 0.83 to 1, and the average investment intensity of industrial land increased by more than 60%.

Third, we have strengthened incentives and constraints. We have adopted incentive policies in the aspects of use control, plot ratio adjustment and price adjustment to promote the redevelopment of inefficiently-used urban land and to put idle land into good use. In 2018, we established a mechanism linking the amount of newly-added land used for construction to the amount of idle land that put into use. Over the past four years, we have reduced 914,666 hectares of unused land, and handled 290,666 hectares of idle land. Currently, a quarter of the total supply of construction land are used to be unused or idle land. The proportion reaches 50% in some localities.

Fourth, we have focused on demonstration and guidance. In recent years, 46 economical land use technologies and models in three batches have been introduced, and 427 model counties (cities) and 24 model prefecture-level cities have been selected in three batches for efficient and intensive use of national land resources. This year, we launched an initiative to build model counties (cities) in economical and intensive use of natural resources covering land, minerals, and marine resources.

Over the past 10 years, China's economical and intensive land use system has improved, and the mechanism has become more complete. It now includes eight categories: planning and management; plan adjustment; standard control; market allocation; policy incentives; monitoring and supervision; assessment and evaluation; and joint responsibility. Through continuous efforts, the level of economical and intensive use of land has been significantly improved. Just as Mr. Zhuang Shaoqin introduced, from 2012 to 2021, the nationwide construction land use area per unit GDP dropped by 40.85%. 

Going forward, we will focus on strictly controlling new construction land and simultaneously putting idle land into use. We will continue to strengthen planning and regulation as well as land conservation evaluation to promote the efficient use of land in various construction projects. We will continue to deepen the linkage between the amount of newly-added construction land and that of unused and idle land, and improve the incentive measures for utilization of idle construction land. We will guide the whole society to enhance the awareness of the economical and intensive use of land and continuously improve the level of economical and intensive land use to better promote high-quality economic development. Thank you.