Legal Regulation of Land Reclamation in China's Coastal Areas

Abstract

China's national marine development strategy acknowledges that land reclamation problems cannot be avoided. Land reclamation has increased rapidly, leading to many risks—as regards resources, the environment, and social concerns. China needs to implement measures to control these risks. Analysis of current legal regulations on land reclamation reveals paradoxes of legislation at the national level and varying regional legal practices; there is a shortage of effective and coordinated land reclamation regulations in China. Analysis of the factors that affect land reclamation shows that regulation plays a central role in managing land reclamation. And, through an analysis of the deficiencies in existing legislation and by learning from the experience of other countries, we can propose a direction for China's land reclamation legislation. Such reforms could effectively protect China's marine resources, avoid environmental and societal risks, and contribute to coastline protection.

Keywords:

• coastline protection
• land reclamation
• legal regulation

Acknowledgment

I am grateful to Professor Ole Kristian Fauchald, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, for comments and suggestions.