Reply of the State Council on the Territorial Spatial Plan of Guangdong Province (2021-2035)

Guohan [2023] No. 76

The People's Government of Guangdong Province; the Ministry of Natural Resources:

The Ministry of Natural Resources' Request for Approval of the Territorial Spatial Plan of Guangdong Province (2021-2035) (Ziranzi Fa [2023] No. 76) has been received. The reply is as follows:

I. The Territorial Spatial Plan of Guangdong Province (2021-2035) (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) is approved in principle.The Plan is the guide for the spatial development of Guangdong Province, the spatial blueprint for its sustainable development, and the basic basis for all types of development, protection and construction activities. Please organize its implementation conscientiously. Guangdong Province is a pioneer, forerunner and experimental zone of reform and opening up, and an important window for showcasing to the world China's achievements in reform and opening up. The implementation of the Plan must adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, fully, accurately and comprehensively implement the new development philosophy, adhere to a people-centered approach, coordinate development and security, promote harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and provide Guangdong's practice for solidly advancing Chinese-style modernization.

II. Consolidate the spatial foundation for safe development.By 2035, the retained cultivated land in Guangdong Province shall be no less than 27.51 million mu, of which the protected area of permanent basic farmland shall be no less than 25.23 million mu; the ecological protection red line shall be no less than 50,700 square kilometers, of which the marine ecological protection red line shall be no less than 16,600 square kilometers; the expansion multiple of the urban development boundary shall be controlled within 1.3 times the scale of urban construction land in 2020; the land area used for construction per unit of GDP shall decrease by no less than 40 percent; the retention rate of the mainland natural coastline shall be no less than the task assigned by the state, and shall be no less than 36.4 percent in 2025; total water consumption shall not exceed the task assigned by the state, and shall not exceed 43.5 billion cubic meters in 2025; except for major national projects, sea reclamation shall be comprehensively prohibited; and the management of uninhabited islands shall be strictly enforced.

III. Build a territorial spatial system that supports the new development pattern.Deeply implement the coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies, the functional zoning strategy and the new urbanization strategy, advance the construction of major land-sea corridors, strengthen layout coordination with Hong Kong and Macao, promote the formation of a new pattern of territorial spatial development and protection featuring distinct main functions, complementary advantages and high-quality development, and build a strategic pivot for the domestic and international dual circulation.

IV. Systematically optimize the pattern of territorial spatial development and protection.Give play to comparative advantages, optimize the positioning of main functions, and improve differentiated support policies. Strictly protect cultivated land and permanent basic farmland, ensure that good farmland is used for grain, optimize the layout of fine agriculture in southern Guangdong, safeguard the safe supply of regional grain and important agricultural products, promote the functional integration of urban and rural space, and build a number of rural revitalization demonstration belts with distinctive features and strong radiating and driving capacity, so as to provide a "Guangdong model" for building a beautiful, livable and workable countryside. Consolidate national ecological security barriers such as the southern hilly and mountainous belt and the coastal belt, strengthen spatial control of rivers and lakes, intensify shoreline restoration and ecological improvement in the Pearl River Basin, strengthen biodiversity protection, and strictly implement use control over the "three grounds and one corridor" of rare marine organisms. Build the Pearl River Delta into a world-class city cluster, create a modern industrial highland with global competitiveness, guarantee space for the development of the real economy, improve the regional public service system, enhance the level of resource conservation and intensive use, and improve the quality of the human settlement environment in urban areas. With the Pearl River Delta port cluster as the core, give play to the leading and driving role of the bay area, build a sound land-sea corridor network, create a gateway hub featuring land-sea linkage and two-way opening up, and give play to the role of the ocean as a strategic stronghold for high-quality development. Relying on the "one map" of territorial spatial planning, coordinate the spatial arrangements of various special plans and enhance the carrying capacity of territorial space. Protect, inherit and utilize fine traditional culture, protect cultural and natural heritage as a whole and utilize it systematically, and shape a uniquely characteristic Lingnan water town and charming coast.

V. Maintain the seriousness and authority of the Plan.The Plan is an overall arrangement for the territorial space of Guangdong Province and the policy and general outline for the protection, development, utilization and restoration of the provincial territorial space. It must be strictly implemented, and no department or individual may modify it at will or change it in violation of regulations. In accordance with the requirements of regular physical examinations and five-year evaluations, improve the monitoring, evaluation and early-warning mechanisms for the implementation of territorial spatial plans at all levels and of all types, and take plan evaluation results as an important basis for supervision and assessment of plan implementation. Establish and improve a linkage mechanism for plan supervision, law enforcement and accountability, and implement full life-cycle management of plans.

VI. Ensure support for plan implementation.The People's Government of Guangdong Province shall strengthen organizational leadership, clarify the division of responsibilities, improve working mechanisms and refine supporting policies and measures. Do a good job in issuing and publicizing the Plan and strengthen social supervision. Organize and complete the compilation of territorial spatial master plans, detailed plans and relevant special plans at all local levels, and accelerate the formation of a unified territorial spatial planning system. Strengthen guidance and constraints on special plans; for special plans involving spatial use, such as those for water conservancy, transportation, energy, agriculture and cultural relics protection, coordinate them on the "one map" of territorial spatial planning. Establish and improve the territorial spatial planning committee system at the provincial, municipal and county levels, and give play to its coordinating role in the compilation, implementation and management of territorial spatial plans. In accordance with territorial spatial planning, coordinate the "whole chessboard" of territorial spatial development and protection, and improve the level of territorial spatial planning, construction and governance across the province. The Ministry of Natural Resources shall, together with relevant parties and according to the division of responsibilities, coordinate and cooperate closely, strengthen guidance, supervision and evaluation, accelerate the establishment of a full life-cycle management system for the implementation of the Plan, and ensure the realization of the goals and tasks set by the Plan. All relevant departments shall resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on the reform of "integrating multiple plans into one", and shall not establish other spatial plans outside the territorial spatial planning system. Major matters in the implementation of the Plan shall be promptly requested for instructions and reported.

The State Council

August 8, 2023

(This document is publicly released)