By Irna Hofman and Peter P. S. Ho

This paper will use the case of China to arrive at an analytical framework with which we might better understand the processes of worldwide land acquisitions – pejoratively termed “land grabbing.” In recent years, China’s rapid economic growth has been coupled with a rising demand for natural resources. Great international concern has arisen over China’s land acquisitions for agricultural and biofuel production, and the way in which this should be regulated. Contrarily, when looking at China’s land acquisitions in a global context, it is not that much different from land acquisitions by other countries and corporate players. In this sense, there are various parallels and differences between the governance of Chinese “land grabbing” versus a “globalization with Chinese characteristics”. Against this backdrop, this paper analyzes the various trends and dynamics of Chinese land acquisitions over space and time, and proposes a reconsideration of land governance in a globalized context.