Rural land disputes lead unrest

BEIJING - About 65 percent of mass incidents in rural areas are triggered by land disputes, which are affecting rural stability and development more than any other issue, land experts said.

China's quick urbanization has provoked a new round of land seizures in rural areas to facilitate economic development, Yu Jianrong, a professor with the Rural Development Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, was quoted by the Beijing News as saying on Friday.

"Since the reform and opening-up, more than 50 million farmers have lost all their land and nearly half of them have no jobs or social insurance. This has caused social conflict," Yu said.