Rules for realty registration

ON MONDAY, THE STATE COUNCIL, CHINA'S CABINET, finally published the Provisional Regulations on Real Estate Registration, which will come into effect on March 1 next year. The rules involve the registration of land, waters, forestry and real estate, and many cherish the hope that it will help lay bare how many houses officials have hidden under their own names and the names of their relatives, or even ghost names.

In the past six years since a registration system was first mentioned, many have talked about the possibility of it becoming an effective tool to uncover the wealth that corrupt officials hide in the form of property.

Yet a look at the detailed articles of the published regulation suggests such an expectation may be too optimistic and it might have been too narrow an interpretation of what the rules intend to achieve.