Property-related riots in Guangdong province subside

Riots which broke out last week in the southern Chinese city of Lufeng appear to have subsided, after local officials promised to investigate complaints made by residents aggrieved by government land grabs, the Wall Street Journal reported. The protests began on Wednesday, after residents complained that their land had been confiscated without compensation. Some 1,000 people are said to have taken part in the riots, which injured 10 police and several protesters. Officials met with the residents over the weekend, and local state media now report that the situation has “basically settled down.” Officials in Beijing have struggled to prevent such land grabs by local governments, and new regulation which came into effect earlier this year requires market value compensation for residents whose land has been seized. However, several property-related ructions have occurred across the country in recent months.