China stimulus hampered by plunge in land sale income

Local governments wary of issuing new bonds as main revenue halves from peak

20241128N China buildings

Chinese developers are shying away from new projects amid a protracted downturn in the property market. © Reuters

KENTARO SHIOZAKI, Nikkei staff writer

BEIJING -- China's regional governments earned 55% less from land-use rights sales in January-October than the 2021 peak for the period, deepening their financial woes and creating an obstacle for economic stimulus measures.

Sales of rights to state-owned land are a main income source for regional governments. Total sales for January-October came to 2.7 trillion yuan ($372 billion), down 23% on the year for the third straight year of declines, according to the Finance Ministry.

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