Research on China's natural resource licensing system

China's natural resource concession rights system demonstrates unique characteristics and innovative approaches in addressing the critical challenge of efficient development and utilization of natural resources. From the perspective of the Chinese Civil Code, natural resource concession rights are private rights incorporated into the usufructuary rights system through state administrative concessions, with their objects specified as property in the legal sense through technical means such as registration and measurement. This institutional design is grounded in state ownership while simultaneously imposing certain limitations and regulations on the exercise of state ownership rights through the privatization of usufructuary rights arrangements. The synergy between public law and private law is fully manifested in this context, ensuring the realization of public interests while promoting the protection of private interests. Within the overall framework of the usufructuary rights system, natural resource usufructuary rights are coordinated with other usufructuary rights, achieving institutional integration and thereby more effectively serving the ultimate goal of natural resource development and utilization.

Keywords: natural resource governance, concession system, usufructuary rights, Chinese Civil Code, sustainable development.