Land Ministry Finds 1,457 Unused Plots

BEIJING, Aug. 4 -- China's Ministry of Land and Resources has found 1,457 unused plots of land nationwide and given a list of what companies hold rights to these plots to the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Journal reported today, citing a person familiar with the situation.

The banking regulator will use the list to conduct a risk assessment, the Beijing-based newspaper reported. About 80 percent of the unused plots may be repossessed by the government, according to the report.

The provinces of Hainan, Jiangsu and the cities of Beijing and Guangzhou have the most unused land, accounting for almost a fourth of all the unused plots, the newspaper reported.