The purpose of this study is to analyze new contradictions in cultivated land protection and provide policy recommendations for the protection strategy in 2035 under the new era. The methods used in this study include literature review, comparative analysis and statistic analysis. We systematically reviewed the evolution of the objectives of cultivated land protection in China since the reform and opening up, combining the new era's characteristics of the high quality of life, the complexity of trade disputes and the uncertainties of climate change in the cultivated land protection. And then we concluded that the limited shortage of cultivated land resources would be a major strategic issue requiring the long-term attention in China's development process. The supporting capacity of China's cultivated land resources for the realization of the basic modernization goal in 2035 needs to be improved. To this end, the relevant strategies are proposed. The first is to optimize the new space for the protection of cultivated land resources in the country; the second is to improve the comprehensive production capacity of cultivated land by enhancing the ecological health of cultivated land; and the third is to ensure the national food security by conducting the global layout and structural adjustment of cultivated land.