Land sales across smaller and less wealthy Chinese cities have fallen to their lowest levels since at least 2011, highlighting the bleak prospects for a full recovery across a national real estate market mired in a slowdown.
Data from financial information provider Wind shows the total value of all land transactions in third-tier mainland Chinese cities, as ranked by population and economic development, fell 4 per cent to Rmb362bn ($50bn) in the first half of this year on the same period last year, despite a slight rise in sales for residential use.
The value of land transactions, including for residential, commercial and other uses, slipped to Rmb87bn in fourth-tier cities and Rmb51bn in fifth-tier cities — both also the lowest since Wind began compiling the data series in 2011.