Almost a quarter of new land acquisitions in Chinese cities are
illegal, according the Ministry of Land and Resources.
A survey using remote sensing satellite technology showed 22
percent of new acquisitions in 90 medium-sized and large cities
were illegal.
The data collected from October 2005 to October 2006 also showed
more than 80 percent of acquisitions were illegal in eight cities,
where more than 16,000 hectares was illegally used, said a senior
ministry official.
Meanwhile, about 51 percent of new land-use projects in the 90
cities were illegal and the figure was as high as 80 percent in 17
cities, said Zhang Xinbao, director of the supervision bureau of
the ministry.
A survey conducted by the ministry in 15 cities in 2005 showed
52.8 percent of land acquisitions for construction were illegal
from October 2003 to September 2005 and the figure climbed to 60
percent during the following 12 months.
The illegal use of land was a growing problem in medium-sized
cities, rural areas and in central and west China, said Zhang, who
would not name any of the cities surveyed.
The top 15 cities with the highest proportions of illegal use
and acquisitions were mostly in central or west China, he said.
As GDP growth played a crucial role in official promotion, local
governments often acquiesced to illegal land use to attract
investment, Zhang explained.
The authorities would continue to firmly enforce laws against
illegal land use, investigate major cases and speed up reforms,
including the evaluation system of official performance, he
said.
The world's most populous nation faces a severe farm land
shortage. Its arable land declined from 122 million hectares to
121.8 million hectares over 2006, almost hitting the official
bottom line of 120 million hectares.
In the meantime, official figures show that investment in fixed
assets in urban areas rose to 6.67 trillion yuan in the first eight
months of 2007, an increase of 26.7 percent over the same period
last year.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2007)