土地使用权到期(tŭdì shĭyòngquán dàoqī): Expiration of land use rights

Expiring land use rights is a nationwide issue related to people's actual interests, and as such has drawn widespread public concern.

According to media reports, the right to use some land in Wenzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, for residential purposes has already expired, but at present there is no law or regulation covering this issue. The area has been among the comparatively developed in the Chinese mainland.

The media reports suggest that the fee charged residents to extend their rights to use the land may be as much as one-third the price of their housing, which has triggered heated public controversy. But in fact, it is only the estimate of the local land resource authority according to current relevant regulations, and the authority hasn't charged anyone up till now because there is no legal basis for doing so.

Experts say there must be automatic extension of land use rights after the 70-year right to use the land expires, but whether the authority will charge for the extension depends on the State Council, the country's Cabinet.

On Wednesday, a joint investigation group of the Ministry of Land and Resources and the Zhejiang provincial department of land and resources went to Wenzhou to investigate and research the issue.