China will pass legislation dealing with land contract management disputes, which have become frequent in recent years and "a factor affecting rural harmony and stability," said a draft law submitted to the top legislature on Monday.
The "Arbitration Law on Land Contract Management Disputes" was tabled for a first reading with the Standing Committee of the 11thNational People's Congress (NPC), the top legislature, which opened its six-day bi-monthly session on Monday.
Minister of Agriculture Sun Zhengcai told legislators the measure would be "an effective guarantee to ensure farmers' land contract management rights" and "an important approach" to safeguard rural stability.
The law was required to "standardize arbitration over land contract disputes," said Sun, who was delegated by the State Council, or cabinet, to explain the draft law at the NPC meeting.
The law specifies concrete arbitration procedures.
One of China's basic rural policies is the "two-tier management system that integrates unified with separate management" on the basis of "household contract management," which allocates publicly owned farmland to individual households through long-term contracts.
More than 50,000 land dispute cases arose in 224 cities and counties, where pilot arbitration programs were used from 2003 to March 2008.
Sun said the arbitration law was "conducive to stopping and correcting acts infringing upon farmers' land rights" and ensures farmers' rights of ownership, use and profit.