Tian Fengshan, minister of land and resources, called for the establishment of a management system that responds to market mechanism on Tuesday, China's National Land Day.
Tian said that he believes the protection of land resources should rely on an increasing awareness of land scarcity and the need for preservation.
Thirteen years has passed since the establishment of National Land Day, which has helped to raise awareness about the need to preserve land resources and protect farmland in China, Tian said.
However, the country's land resources continue to face threats from the huge population and from rapid economic progress. Severe desertification and soil erosion have exacerbated existing conflict between man and land.
The market mechanism, featuring transparency and impartiality, is the best way to resolve the problems of land waste and price distortions and could therefore provide a sound foundation for the use of land resources, he said.
(People's Daily June 25, 2003)
