The nation is set to take a step further in protecting farmers' land use rights, as its top legislators are deliberating giving farmers another legal bargaining chip when their land is expropriated.

The proposed amendment to the Land Administration Law by the top legislative body would remove the compensation ceiling for rural land expropriation. According to the existing law, compensation and relocation payments should be "no more than 30 times the average annual output of the land for three years before it is taken over".

The amendment says that "fair compensation should be ensured in accordance with the law and in a just and open manner", which leaves more leeway for farmers to bargain with land seizers.