Reform of the Rural Collective Construction Land System: A Holistic Assessment and Future Outlook

China holds a vast stock of rural collective construction land, distinguished by its large scale, diverse categories and intricate institutional design. Deepening the reform of the collective construction land system is now the critical edge at which further land system reforms are advancing. Over the past decade, the rural collective commercial construction land marketization reform has advanced markedly. It has become a key lever for advancing the broader land system reform agenda. However, the present reform, which focuses almost exclusively on commercial-use land, has not addressed the full spectrum of the collective construction land system. As a result, its depth and breadth still need to be fully developed. Experience from the pilot regions indicates that three issues must be tackled resolutely: (1) resolving the historical legacy issues that still hinder marketization; (2) integrating the spatial layout of marketized land at the county scale; and (3) strengthening the authority and enforceability of village planning. The long-range goals of China's land system reform are modernizing the urban-rural spatial form, equalizing land rights, and standardizing land management. These goals serve as both the key anchor points and the fundamental constraints for deepening collective construction land reform. Looking ahead, the reform of collective public-interest construction land must be placed on the agenda without delay, and land management capacity should be upgraded through coordination of reforms and realignment of policies.