CHINA'S MOVES TOWARDS granting private property constitutional protection are a useful step forward. Doing so, however, will not end official meddling in the economy, nor in itself stimulate further private sector growth.
The main reason for this is the emphasis on ownership. The proposed constitutional amendment, approved by the National People's Congress Standing Committee on the weekend and now only needing to be rubber-stamped by the full NPC when it meets in March, states that 'private property obtained legally shall not be violated'.