Government to protect relocated farmers' land rights

Farmers can retain rights to their collectively owned land even when they choose to resettle in cities, according to a key central government document aimed at assuring farmers’ rights amid the government’s new urbanization push. The State Council and the General Office released a set of recommendations on Sunday in a bid to seek a clearer definition of the ownership of rural land, the rights to its use, and the property owners’ transferring of land-use rights. According to Caixin, the document said that farmers should not be forced to give up land rights s as a condition of relocation. By better addressing farmers’ concerns over their land rights, the assurance will remove a major stumbling block to Beijing’s efforts to push for greater urbanization and modern farming, analysts said.