BEIJING - China has firmly upheld the red line for farmland protection, gradually establishing an integrated framework for the quantity, quality, and ecological preservation of farmland, Guan Zhiou, minister of natural resources, said on Wednesday.

By the end of 2024, China's total farmland area stands at nearly 1.94 billion mu (129.33 million hectares), Guan told a press conference.

China has been stepping up efforts to ensure the total area of its farmland does not fall below the red line of 1.8 billion mu.