Asia Times has an article on "The Great Chinese Land Grab". AT's writers often have a barrow to push, but with that caveat in mind some of this is disturbing if even partially true. It also dovetails with my post yesterday on the "two China's" - rural poor versus wealthy urban areas.

Over the past seven years, China has lost 66,670 square kilometers in arable land, according to the Ministry of Land Resources, an estimate that many experts consider grotesquely below the actual figure and not reflecting desertification, poor management and unbridled illegal land grabs. While China is a vast country, the amount of arable land for a population of 1.3 billion, more than 800 million of them farmers, is relatively small and intensely cultivated...In April Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao announced a series of measures to curb widespread illegal land requisition nationwide, both in an effort to rein in the red-hot real-estate sector and to protect the lawful rights, interests and livelihood of millions of farmers and others who depend on the rural economy...

The AT also has an article on the limited power the Central Government has over the regions in bringing the economy under control. It notes that whereas in the past the regions meekly followed the path laid out by centre, now some of them are standing up to decisions they don't like and even openly criticising them in the media. The problem in a country as vast as China is it is almost too big to be centrally governed. The lines between national and regional governments are as blurred as the lines between the CCP and the machinery of the state. With different regions growing at vastly different rates and having very different needs these tensions will go on increasing. However the ties that bind China together are likely stronger than the forces that would break it apart. Accomodations will be made and solutions will be found. China has long been many states operating under one nation. It will continue to remain so for many years to come.