The characteristics of rural rights in China: The separation of land ownership, land-use rights, and land-use designation rights

The economic returns of rural land in China are a crucial factor influencing rural rights. The separation of land ownership, land-use rights, and the right to determine land use has given rise to numerous rural rights issues that are characteristic of China. During the process of rural in-situ industrialization and subsequent urbanization, which is shaped by land-use rights, even when farmers transition into urban residents, they still exhibit a strong interest in rural rights. In the course of rural areas being urbanized, which is shaped by the rights to determine land use, urban administrators acquire rural land at low prices and sell it at high prices to secure the financial resources for urbanization. This has undermined the rights of farmers. The approach of safeguarding high economic returns for farmers’ land in urban villages, where land ownership plays a dominant role, has given rise to conflicts between urban and rural rights structures.