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The Chinese side involved the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR), China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD), and the China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges under the Ministry of Commerce.

Entitled "Revitalizing Rural China through Land Policy Reform and Innovation in Rural Governance and Public Service Delivery," the four-year project is designed to propose strategic policies and legislative reforms to revitalize the country's rural areas, with particular emphasis on issues related to land rights, access to public service and local governance.

By enhancing growth, efficiency and equity in rural areas, the project aims to modernize development of the countryside and reduce rural-urban inequalities, said Khalid Malik, UN Resident Co-ordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in China.

"Securing rural land rights, stronger bargaining power for farmers, and sufficient compensation for land use have been identified as keys to rural reform in China," Malik said.

With the country's rapid urbanization and industrialization, the demand for land has led to rampant illegal expropriation at local level.

"As the pressure for urban expansion mounts around the country, stories abound of farmers being forced off their land with little compensation and no means of recourse," Malik said.

"Farmers who have lost their land come to cities and cause new problems."

Huang Zongli, director-general of the Department of International Co-operation, Science and Technology under the MLR, said he hoped a new land acquisition policy in the country could be explored through the implementation of the project.

"We hope to build a just and fair land management system to achieve a clear land transfer to ensure farmers' right," Huang said.

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