29,000 Illegal Land Use Cases in the First Half of 2012, Law-breaking Officers Sentenced lightly and Encouraged

• Author: Deng Huaning et al

Ministry of Land and Resources announced statistics concerning investigation and punishment of illegal land use cases in the first half of 2012. During the period, there were 29,000 illegal land use cases, involving land of 177,000 Mu (Chinese measurement, 1 Mu is about 0.165 acre) and cultivated land of 65,000 Mu. Moreover, areas of land newly misused show monthly increases, and, under the pressure of steady growth, a large number of development projects are on the way in various regions of the state. In the second half of the year, a grim struggle in curbing illegal land uses is expected.

Compare with the large number of illegal land use cases, the proportion of officers who were punished by party discipline or under criminal law is significantly lower. Liu Runrong, the Chief of Guangdong Province Dongguan City Land and Resources Bureau claimed, “Although the central government is very strict on the...