Clearer interpretation about land use rights renewal urgent

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN WENZHOU, East China's Zhejiang province, has asked some residents to pay one-third of the value of their houses to extend their land use rights claiming the existing rights are close to expiring. The residents say the Property Law stipulates that land use rights "automatically renew" after expiration. An editorial on thepaper.cn:

It has become generally accepted that "land use rights automatically renew" meaning the government may not claim the land and the house owners can continue to own and use their houses.

However, the local government in Wenzhou has simply interpreted the law in their favor, while neither the local legislature nor the judiciary has intervened.