China now the largest owner of foreign soil

Chinese companies have purchased or leased nearly 6,5 million hectares of land in third countries over the past decade. This puts them far ahead of companies from the UK (1,5 million hectares), the US (860,000 hectares) and Japan (420,000 hectares), according to an analysis by Nikkei Asia based on data provided by the Land Matrix initiative. The areas under Chinese control are equivalent to almost the area of the German federal state of Bavaria. According to the analysis, these areas are mainly used for agriculture, forestry and mining.