China to boost land payout law after unrest: Media

BEIJING (AFP) - China's cabinet has passed a legal amendment aimed at boosting compensation for rural land confiscations, a major source of popular unrest, state-run media said today.

The legislation could increase payments 10-fold yet still be insufficient to defuse the problem, the Global Times said, which did not provide exact details of the law but cited analyst concerns such as the need to ensure farmers' rights.

The changes "which experts say will benefit farmers amid frequent land disputes in China's rural areas, may not be sufficient or effective", it said.

China's State Council passed the draft amendment on Wednesday, saying in a statement that "too much rural land has been expropriated too quickly", a trend that "affects stability in the countryside".