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Draft law on rural land dispute eyes stability

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-20 17:29

BEIJING -- China's draft law on the arbitration over rural land contract disputes was submitted Monday for the second reading by the lawmakers, stressing the work of reconciliation before moving cases to court.

"The arbitration on the disputes concerning farmland contract management should adhere to openness, fairness and justness, focusing on efficiency and reconciliation," said the draft law.

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The draft version of the "Law on Arbitration over Farmland Contract Management Disputes" was made in an attempt to standardize the arbitration procedure as such disputes become frequent in recent years and was addressed as "a factor affecting rural harmony and stability."

Statistics show that more than 50,000 land dispute cases arose in 224 cities and counties across the country from 2003 to March 2008.

Local governments can set up arbitration committees on rural land contract management disputes at both county and city levels to help solve such cases, according to the draft.

The committees are responsible for hiring arbitrators, hearing disputes and supervising the whole process of arbitration. The committees should respond to applicants on whether to accept the cases in less than five workdays.

The law also specifies that disputes over land expropriation which involve government organizations are not in the scope of such arbitration, and they should resort to administrative reconsideration or litigation.

The measure would be "an effective guarantee to ensure farmers' land contract management rights" and "an important approach" to safeguard rural stability, said Minister of Agriculture Sun Zhengcai last December when explaining the draft.

One of China's basic rural policies is to allocate publicly owned farmland to individual households through long-term contracts on the basis of "household contract management."

It is said that the arbitration law was "conducive to stopping and correcting acts infringing upon farmers' land rights" and ensure farmers' rights of ownership, use and profit.

Lawmakers are expected to deliberate the law during the eighth session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress which opened here Monday.