Minister must step carefully to balance interests

Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi has likely experienced awkwardness and anxiety at the group discussions of this year's National People's Congress (NPC) session.

Regional governments are pushing central authorities to approve more land for construction to accelerate economic development - a theme encapsulated in the recent proposal by a NPC deputy from Shaanxi province.

The demands are mounting, but so are concerns about the impact such moves would have in areas such as the environment.