China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued guidance to support higher-quality service-sector development by promoting mixed and compatible land use. Municipal and county natural-resources authoriti

2026-09-29

China’s Ministry of Natural Resources and National Forestry and Grassland Administration issued guidance to support higher-quality service-sector development by promoting mixed and compatible land use. Municipal and county natural-resources authorities are instructed to set positive/negative lists, control rules and proportion limits for mixing service-sector land with other land types, and to steer productive services into industrial parks for co-location and mixed use with industrial land. Industrial land may accommodate administrative/office and life-service facilities up to 15% of a project’s total built area, and may further include up to an additional 15% for productivity services and industry neighborhood centers; compatible portions should generally not be subdivided or transferred. The notice also calls for optimizing spatial layout for life services, permitting life-service land within residential and public-management and public-service land, and establishing positive lists to complete 15-minute convenience service circles.