The conflict over takings and property rights in China and its parallels with that in the United States
“Chinese scholars are interested in the US debate over Kelo and economic development takings because their own government engages in similar practices on a much vaster scale. Since the last 1970s, as many as 40 million Chinese have been forcibly displaced in order to make way for various economic development projects. Over 1 million were forced out just to make way for construction related to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Despite the obvious differences between the two countries, there are many parallels between the US and Chinese debates over eminent domain. As in the Kelo case, much of the land taken is condemned for transfer to private developers. In both countries, the victims of such takings are usually poor and politically weak – in the case of China, often peasants. And, just as the Kelo decision triggered a massive public reaction in the US, land seizures in China have led to numerous public protests, even in an authoritarian society. Indeed, this issue has triggered more popular protest against the Chinese government than any other in recent years.”
Somin, Iilya. Washington Post 8 August 2014.