News Archive
China pushes for transparency on land deals
Released on 01/05/2008
From today, local government officials in China must allow greater public scrutiny into land acquisitions for real estate development, according to the official news agency Xinhua.
Yesterday China’s State Council issued a new regulation requiring local government to publish its procedures on land acquisition for development and other matters of public concern.
Land acquisition for real estate by local governments has been a heated issue in China and often leads to serious conflicts, Xinhua said.
The 22-article regulation, which takes effect today, aims to "improve transparency and protect the right to know and public scrutiny of official acts," said Zhang Qiong, deputy director of the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council.
Posted on the government site www.gov.cn, it said governments under the prefectural level should provide “timely dissemination of information” about land acquisitions from farmers or citizens, and the compensation involved.
The regulation also includes a "freedom of information" provision that gives the public the right to request information by making a written or electronic application. It says officials should respond and inform the applicants whether the information can be released, which it should be where possible.
If the request concerns proprietary commercial information or private information about a third party, the government body should acquire the third party's permission before release, it added.
The State Council asked local governments to draw up detailed plans for compliance with the regulation no later than the end of October.
