China and Global Land Use Change

Abstract

Abstract Recent decades have seen rapid, extensive, and profound changes to global land use. The role played by China in this dramatic process has been significant, but how, exactly, are we to understand that role? In the context of global land grabs, China figured prominently, especially in the earlier phase of the phenomenon, but some suggest that China’s role might have been overestimated. The argument this chapter makes overlaps with but diverges from the debate about China and land grabs and delves into the character and extent of China’s role in driving global land-use change, which, in turn, has profound implications for global social life. The chapter argues that both global land-use change and the role played by China are far more complex and more extensive than was previously understood. The chapter proposes a typology to facilitate the analysis through a matrix of multiple interactive variables: formal/informal, direct/indirect, and internal/external, centering on social relations. In so doing, its makes hidden informal land deals more visible, indistinct indirect land-use changes more transparent, and obscure internal/external linkages more obvious.