The first meeting of the Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee discussed rural residential land reform on Tuesday.

The leading group called for a pilot project to reform the rural residential land system to be expanded to protect public ownership of land, farmers' interests and arable land.

According to the meeting, farmers should not trade their residential land or abandon their rights to use the land in exchange for becoming urban residents.

The meeting also required adhering to the public ownership of land, safeguarding the red line for arable land, and protecting farmers' interests. Moreover, in the process of exploring replicable experience of rural residential land reform, the interests of the country, collectives and individuals should be balanced.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the meeting, and called for fully implementing the spirit of the Party's 19th National Congres and pressing ahead with reform.

"In studying and implementing the spirit of the Party congress, we should focus on its essence, arrangements and requirements for reform," Xi said.