There is some optimism that land reform will have breakthrough progress at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee. However, there is a strong possibility that this optimism will be doused with cold water.

It is not that there will not be a major land reform plan, but rather it will fall short of the radical, concrete reforms necessary to solve the problem once and for all.

According to Chinese laws, all land is owned by the State and farmers only have the right to use it under a long-term lease from the government.