China cracks down on ‘characteristic towns’ that misused land, real estate while racking up massive debt
- An initiative to develop towns outside megacities was launched five years ago as part of China’s urbanisation push, but improper planning has plagued projects
- Latest move comes as Beijing is striving to reduce high local government debt and excess that collectively pose a serious threat to China’s economy
Across China, poorly planned ghost towns filled with unsold homes or faux-historic architecture – part of an initiative meant to boost tourism and local revenue – are facing elimination as Beijing puts them under the microscope.
Last month, the National Development and Reform Commission – the state planner – announced that these “characteristic towns” will be assessed and could be closed down if they fail to meet a set of criteria, including proper usage of land, preservation of the ecological environment, associated debt, necessity and safety.
“Excluding the existing traditional housing, residential land cannot take up more than 30 per cent of a characteristic town, and is encouraged to be less than 25 per cent,” the announcement said.
The initiative to develop characteristic towns outside megacities was launched five years ago as part of China’s urbanisation push. Some were built to support manufacturing, esports and e-commerce, but many others looked to tourism, with local authorities keen on selling land and developing real estate – a practice that has long sustained local governments.