context: Rural collective economic organisations technically own all rural land in China, including rural construction land key to real estate reform agendas, but their legal status is nebulous at best. Granted legal personhood in mid-2017 by an amendment to the Civil Code, their structure and status will only be codified in law by a proposed Rural Collective Economic Organisation Law, now under development.
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) issued ‘Notice of launching rural collective economic organisation registration certificate’, stipulating
- name, format, content, size and printing specifications
- a copy is to be made for MARA records and supervision
- issuance
- registration certificates should be issued by county ag and rural affairs agencies
- in some cases, provincial ag and rural affairs agencies are also able to issue the certificate
- for areas where there is no ag and rural affairs agency, the higher-level government body is in charge of issuing certificates
- procedures
- strictly reviewing materials before issuing certificates
- name, legal person, type, date of establishment and responsibilities
- assets: current assets, agricultural assets, long-term assets, fixed assets and other assets
- strictly reviewing materials before issuing certificates
- validity
- ten years from issuance