Authorities plan new controls over cities' land use

China's land watchdog has vowed to tighten its control of land use in the building of new towns and cities because many just-completed projects across the nation have lain empty in recent years.

In many districts, land and money have been wasted on building houses, streets, shopping malls and plazas in areas where few people live.

Authorities will now permit no land to be used to build new districts in towns and cities unless this is aimed at avoiding natural disasters and alleviating high population density in downtown areas.