Meaningful amendment to land law

The draft amendment of China's Land Administration Law, which was recently reviewed by China's top legislative body, deleted article 47 concerning land compensation. The article stated that compensation for land owners whose land is expropriated should be calculated according to the former uses of the land, and the combination of land expropriation and settlement subsidy should not exceed 30 times the annual average output of the land expropriated. The new amendment rules that farmers' legal rights must be protected and the authority should not approve and execute land expropriation until the compensation is accepted by landowners, says an article in 21st Century Business Herald. Excerpts:

These changes in the law mark a breakthrough in the field, even though the amendment does not specifically mention how to guarantee the fairness of the expropriation process.

The new law, if the amendment is passed, will become a powerful legal tool for the farmers whose land will be expropriated and at least raises the farmers' status in their negotiations with local governments.

Farmers will get more money from land transfers before becoming new urban residents. The capital will help them adapt to city life much faster and buy them medical services and quality education resources before a fair social security network is completely established. The rich newcomers will help to accelerate China's urbanization.

The amendment is to replace old practices with a new spirit. The law will certainly become more specific with the expropriation process in the future. But that does not influence the high evaluation we give to the amendment.