Where Does the Role of Chinese Government in Land Development Stand in a Global Context: An International Comparative Study

Abstract

China’s land development model has far-reaching implications on a local, national and global level. However, the model of land development prevalent in China is substantially different from the typical Western counterparts. So is the role of Chinese Government in this model. But to what extent do China’s general land development model and the role the Chinese government plays in land market transaction, both of which are part of the so-called China Model, stand out in a global context, are unclear. This presentation presents a comparative study of the roles Chinese and major developed countries’ governments play in land development, aiming to identify the differences, similarities and, ultimately, uniqueness of the Chinese Model in a global context. Following a comparison of the roles of the respective governments in Amsterdam, Canberra, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and the US, this article shows that while the mainstream role of western governments in land development is to facilitate as if a “conduit”, the Chinese government on the other hand exhibits political and economic dominance as if a “powerful landlord”. Unlike both the traditional land development template (Watchdog Role) and the globally prevailing Conduit Role of government, China’s Landlord Role is unseen in other countries examined in our research. This China model could be the most extreme in the world but does explain much China’s phenomenal development and its associated deep-seat problems in the past two decades.