◆The environment and its constituent elements are increasingly demonstrating the usefulness and value of their “resource” attributes.

◆ Special institutional arrangements should be put in place for resources used in public services, ecologically sensitive areas, and those of significant strategic importance.

◆ Intensify the conservation and efficient use of resources in resource-rich areas and areas with high-quality resource combinations.

◆Spatial planning must clearly specify prohibitive and restrictive requirements and establish a negative list for development and construction.

“Accelerate the establishment of an ecological civilization system, improve the institutional mechanisms for land space development, resource conservation, and ecological environmental protection, and promote the formation of a new pattern of modernization characterized by harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.” This is the overarching requirement put forward at the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China regarding land space development and the protection and utilization of natural resources. The “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reform” clearly outlines measures to improve the property rights system for natural resource assets and the system for controlling their use, establish a land space development and protection system, and set up a system for the paid use of resources. The “Overall Plan for Ecological Civilization System Reform issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council” specifies that by... 2020 In that year, an ecological civilization institutional framework was established, comprising eight systems including the property rights system for natural resource assets and the land space development and protection system. Minister Jiang Daming... 2016 At the National Conference on Land and Resources held this year, it was proposed that strengthening the natural resource management system and formulating and implementing spatial plans to optimize the pattern of land and space development should be given high priority as key areas of work. In summary, this signifies that land and resource management will expand to encompass broader management of natural resource assets and more comprehensive control over land use patterns.

China’s resource endowment is large in scale and diverse in type, yet its regional distribution is uneven and its spatial configuration is less than ideal.

Resources, also known as natural resources, broadly encompass both tangible natural resources and the associated spatial and environmental elements. In essence, they cover the nation’s land space as well as all natural entities found within it. The national conditions regarding resources represent a comprehensive overview of the relationship between a country’s people and its natural resources. First, they reflect the fundamental status and characteristics of resource endowments; second, they highlight the primary advantages and salient contradictions between these endowments and the demands of human activities, as well as socio-economic development, at a given historical stage.

China’s national resource situation can generally be summarized as follows: Our country boasts vast land areas and abundant natural resources, characterized by diverse types and rich variety. However, the regional distribution of these resources is uneven, their spatial configuration is far from ideal, per capita resource endowments are extremely low, and there is a clear shortage of suitable land space for development and utilization. At present, natural resources play a crucial supporting and safeguarding role in China’s rapid economic development; yet, overall resource utilization remains highly extensive and inefficient. Meanwhile, resource and environmental constraints are becoming increasingly severe, and in some regions, the ecological degradation caused by human development activities has not been effectively curbed.

Establish a new resource outlook and place great importance on the sustainable development of resources and the environment.

With the development of society, humanity’s means and capabilities for harnessing resources and transforming nature have continuously improved. The breadth and depth of resource utilization today are vastly different from those in the past, and the benefits and well-being that resources bring to humanity are also unprecedented. As the spatial carrier of all economic and social activities, natural resources play a crucial role as a supporting foundation. All human existence and socio-economic activities require a certain spatial footprint and depend on the resource supply and environmental capacity of that space and related areas. The types and efficiency of resource supply in a given spatial area, as well as its capacity and effectiveness in absorbing environmental impacts, exert a significant influence on the socio-economic activities taking place there. Different geographic regions, owing to their varying resource endowments and combinations, exhibit considerable differences in their suitability and carrying capacity for various types of economic and social activities. The development of land space must take into account both human needs and the resource-environmental foundation, and is constrained by the carrying capacity of spatial resources and the environment. Therefore, on the basis of scientific understanding, humanity must adopt a new perspective on resources, and engage in the scientific planning, development, utilization, and protection of natural resources.

The resource perspective is a comprehensive view held by humans regarding the significance and importance of natural resources—including space and the environment. It represents a synthesis of the relationship between humans and natural resources and determines how humans utilize these resources. At present, with dwindling reserves and limited new additions of resources, coupled with increasingly evident ecological and environmental consequences of resource exploitation, all these factors call for us to re-examine our understanding of natural resources and adopt a new resource perspective.

The concept of resource conservation and efficient utilization. From the perspective of resource support and security, in the face of increasingly stringent resource and environmental constraints, we must emphasize conservation and efficient use—this includes intensive utilization in resource-rich areas and regions with high-quality resource combinations. To achieve conservation and intensive resource utilization, enhance efficiency, and improve environmental conditions, innovation is key. We need to innovate institutional and policy frameworks, refine property rights over natural resource assets, optimize the spatial layout of resource development, and effectively control and mitigate the negative externalities associated with resource exploitation and utilization. Moreover, technological and scientific innovation is essential for boosting resource-use efficiency and creating greater value from resource utilization.

The concept of integrated resource development. Integrated development is an intrinsic requirement for coordinated development. It primarily involves the coordinated management of relevant resources—for example, in arid regions, land use should be determined by water availability; it also entails coordinating resources with the environment—for instance, considering the environmental costs associated with wetland development; and properly balancing several key relationships between resource development and coordinated socio-economic growth, with a particular focus on regional coordinated development, integrated urban-rural development, and the synchronized advancement of the “Four Modernizations” (industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization). Moreover, it requires effectively managing intergenerational equity in resource exploration and utilization.

The resource perspective of sustainable development. We must earnestly implement the green concept and ensure the sustainable development and perpetual utilization of resources. It is essential to reduce the proportion of non-renewable and exhaustible resources in resource utilization, strengthen resource recycling, and promote the reduction, resource recovery, and zero emissions of waste and pollutants. Present generations must fully take into account the needs of future generations, foster harmonious coexistence between humans and nature, and leave behind lush mountains and clear waters for our descendants. In particular, we must “preserve” the quantity, quality, and diversity of resources, thereby upholding intergenerational equity.

Adopt an open and pioneering perspective on resources. We must expand the opening-up of the resource sector to the outside world, deepen international cooperation and exchanges in the resource field, coordinate both domestic and international markets effectively, and actively participate in global governance in the resource domain. We should adopt a broad-minded approach to understanding nature, enriching and expanding the conceptual scope of natural resources. In particular, the environment and its constituent elements are increasingly demonstrating their utility and value, thereby acquiring “resource” attributes. Moreover, we need to explore broader spaces for the occurrence of natural resources as well as the expansion of territorial space—deep within the Earth and even outer space could potentially become new frontiers for resource exploration and utilization.

A resource outlook that benefits and serves the people. To ensure that resource development and utilization truly benefit and serve the people and achieve shared resource benefits, we must carefully design a property rights system for natural resource assets—particularly the system of usufructuary rights derived from ownership. We should expand the coverage of natural resource provision for public services and make concerted efforts to reduce supply costs. We must distribute resource revenues fairly, enabling the masses to experience a greater sense of gain. Moreover, we should implement special policies to leverage resources in helping vulnerable groups improve their living conditions and economic status.

Promote the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources through institutional reform and innovative mechanisms.

Based on the five new development concepts and the new resource paradigm, the author puts forward some thoughtful suggestions regarding the management of natural resource assets.

Improve the property rights system and focus on addressing the issues of fairness and efficiency. At present, there is still considerable room for improvement in China’s natural resource conservation and utilization in terms of both fairness and efficiency. There is a need to reform and refine aspects such as the types of rights, the various subjects of these rights, the definition of their powers and capabilities, mechanisms governing changes in rights, and systems for monitoring these rights—so as to enhance fairness while taking efficiency into account. We must clarify ownership and its respective subjects, and strengthen the system of rights such as usage rights. Moreover, we should assign reciprocal responsibilities and obligations to the subjects exercising their rights: exercising rights cannot be done without corresponding responsibilities, and fulfilling obligations cannot be achieved without concurrent rights. We should center our design of rights operation and change models on the economic, social, and ecological needs of resource conservation and utilization, and through carefully designed rules governing rights changes and their implementation, strive to reduce transaction costs, increase the external economic benefits of resource conservation, and mitigate the external negative effects of resource development and utilization.

Improve the paid-use system to promote conservation and intensive utilization. The following aspects should be given particular attention: First, the fundamental pricing authority for resources lies with the market; prices must accurately reflect market supply and demand, and the government should intervene only when market failures occur. Second, fees for the paid use of resources should be clearly allocated to various components—such as owners’ equity, development costs, ecological compensation fees, taxes and levies, and profits—to ensure that all parties involved in the transaction receive their fair share and bear their respective responsibilities. Third, for resources owned by the state or collectives, a principal-agent system should be established, featuring clear alignment of rights and responsibilities and effective oversight, thereby avoiding institutional designs that allow “selling others’ resources while keeping the proceeds for oneself.” This is a crucial step in reducing inefficient and ineffective resource supply and promoting conservation and intensive utilization. Fourth, special institutional arrangements are needed for specific natural resources—for example, those used for public services, resources located in ecologically sensitive areas, and resources of significant strategic importance.

Establishing a spatial planning system hinges on striking a balance between development and conservation. The carrying capacity of resources and the environment is the result of the integrated relationship among resources, the environment, and space—a dynamic and evolving process. Spatial planning must deeply understand the interplay among regional resources and the environment as its foundational basis, and in its planning arrangements, it should place great emphasis on harmonizing the relationship between development and conservation. Spatial planning must clearly identify which areas are off-limits for certain types of activities, explicitly stipulating prohibitive and restrictive measures and drawing up a negative list of development and construction projects. Only after establishing such clear boundaries can specific development and construction initiatives be scheduled. Any spatial conflicts encountered during the planning process should be resolved through consultation based on law, science, technology, and public opinion—never by relying on arbitrary power interventions or compromise driven by vested interests. While economic interest negotiations and compensation are certainly necessary, they should not be used as bargaining chips in resolving conflicts.

Actively participate in the global governance system in the field of natural resources. Last year, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the concept of “joint consultation, joint construction, and shared benefits” for global governance. We must fully leverage the role of international markets in ensuring resource security, intensify reform and innovation on multiple fronts, and actively engage in global governance in the resource sector. First, our perspective on resource security must shift from a domestic focus to a global one. For instance, regarding food security, we should store grain in both land and technology, increase imports of grain from international markets, and reserve some of our domestic arable land as strategic reserves. By expanding our resource space and leaving more national territory for ecological conservation, we can effectively ease the tension between population and land. Second, with a strategic vision, we should deepen international cooperation and exchanges in the resource sector, use our country’s strength to enhance our voice in international resource governance, and guide Chinese enterprises’ overseas resource development and market expansion through national will. Third, we should improve institutional mechanisms and policies, coordinate both domestic and international markets, encourage exploration of international markets, engage in deep cooperation with resource-rich countries and regions, build a community of shared interests in resource development, and achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

(Author’s Affiliation: National Land Inspection Office, Xi’an Bureau)