Land Commodification: New Land Development and Politics in China since the Late 1990s

This article examines the development of the land market in China since the late 1990s. It analyses new practices in which urban space is commodified through ad hoc market development, and argues that the structure of the land market is indeed becoming more complicated and that land sales are pervasive and rampant. Under such circumstances, the state has rearticulated its function in land governance in order to apply a more consolidated regulatory power. The politics behind the development of the land market and the rearticulation of the state are explored with reference to the changing role of the state in land commodification. It is argued that, if we understand the market as an emerging institution, the development of the market has been supported by the state. Regulatory land control is becoming a new way for the state to be involved in space commodification. Resume Cet article porte sur l'evolution du marche foncier en Chine depuis la fin des annees 1990. Il analyse de nouvelles pratiques par lesquelles l'espace urbain est marchandise travers le developpement de marches specifiques; de plus, il montre que la structure du marche foncier devient vraiment plus compliquee et que les ventes de terrains se generalisent grande echelle. Face cette situation, l'Etat a reorganise sa fonction en matiere de gouvernance fonciere afin d'exercer un pouvoir regulateur plus integre. La politique la base de l'essor du marche foncier et la reorganisation etatique sont examinees au regard du nouveau role de l'Etat dans la marchandisation des terrains. Si on considere le marche comme une institution emergente, son developpement a donc recu le soutien de l'Etat. Ce dernier trouve dans le controle regulateur du foncier une nouvelle facon d'etre partie prenante dans la marchandisation de l'espace.