No Sinocism Friday due to some early morning meetings.

Today’s Links:

THE ESSENTIAL EIGHT

China Record Drop in Credit Growth Puts Momentum at Risk – Bloomberg The moderation in credit after a record first-quarter financing boom stands to cap an economic rebound being driven by a recovery in confidence and Premier Li Keqiang’ssupport measures, such as faster spending on railways. Overcapacity and pressure to clean up debt loom as challenges, according to JPMorgan, which sees growth slowing to 7.2 percent in 2014 from 7.6 percent this year. “There is less risk in the near term,” said Zhu Haibin, JPMorgan chief China economist in Hong Kong, who has worked at the Bank for International Settlements. “But this round of recovery will not be a strong one and won’t last long.” // but better to not collapse and buy time for the long and painful (politically and economically) implementation of structural fixes think the people who are actually responsible for running China.

Related: Steel Rallying With Chinese Builders Beating Mills: Commodities – Bloomberg The appetite for steel suggests sustained demand for commodities, even as Premier Li Keqiang tries to curb excess lending and shutter inefficient plants in industries from metals to cement. Imports from copper to crude oil are rebounding as manufacturing data add to signs that China will meet Li’s 7.5 percent growth target this year. “The overcapacity that everybody was so worried about is turning out to be moot because 2013 is shaping up as a record year for steel demand,” said Jia Liangqun, chief analyst at Mysteel Research (300226), the Shanghai-based company that provides data to the National Development and Reform Commission. “To reduce the pain as it rebalances the economy, the government has no choice but to keep doing one of the things it does best — investment in infrastructure, real estate and fixed assets.”

China’s Lou Says Risk of Local Debt Default Not Great – Bloomberg Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei called the scale of the nation’s local government debt controllable and said the risk of default was “not great.” Lou, in an interview aired today by state broadcaster China Central Television, said the growth of borrowings by local authorities was slowing. Some local governments do face “relatively big” debt problems, especially those that previously saw very rapid revenue growth, he said.

Related: State Council Counselor Suggest Tough Ways Against Local Debt-Caijing “Local governments who spend recklessly and extravagantly in office building, while shouldering high debt burden, should be ordered to move out from their luxurious offices….and sell them along with other good assets to repay debts,” Xia Bin, who is also honorary director of the Finance Institute of the State Council Development Research Center, told media on Tuesday. While highlighting concerns about a debt crisis, Xia noted that results of the ongoing nationwide auditing could be quite “striking”, with substantial part of debts having gone sour….”I believe there will be a package of proposals [to deal with the debt problem] when the nationwide review ends in late August,” Xia said. Measures including local government bond sales, asset securitization, and banks’ charge-offs, as well as the establishment of asset management companies could be included in the package, he added.

Related: China’s bad debt could leave $500 bln equity hole | Considered View | Breakingviews China’s bad debts could blow a $500 billion hole in bank balance sheets. That’s roughly how much extra equity the eleven biggest lenders might need if 10 percent of their loans went sour, according to a Breakingviews calculator.

China’s ex-security chief helping probe, not target – sources | Reuters but “协助调查” is a big deal, and while assisting an investigation your freedom is usually restricted…lots of smoke… // “Zhou has not been ‘shuang gui’,” one source told Reuters, referring to a form of internal investigation in which a suspect is required to confess within a prescribed time and place. “He was merely asked to assist with the corruption investigation,” the source said. All three sources declined to elaborate when asked if the probe involved Zhou’s family members or allies at state oil giant China National Petroleum Corp, of which he was president in the 1990s. “Unlike Bo, Zhou is unlikely to be arrested or put on trial” even if he is implicated in the probe, the source added….In a landmark move earlier this year, the Communist Party scrapped a decades-old unwritten rule that exempts incumbent and retired Standing Committee members from investigation for corruption, the sources said. The party can now open an investigation into purported evidence provided by a named – not anonymous – whistleblower against a sitting or former Standing Committee member, the sources said, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions for discussing secretive and sensitive elite politics. //  I am very skeptical this change really happened. Of course anything is possible, but this would change some very key dynamics  

Related: Sichuan Businessman Falls Under Eye of Probe – Caixin supposedly had links with Zhou Yongkang // A Sichuan businessman who built an investment conglomerate in the hydropower, infrastructure and entertainment sectors was detained in Beijing on August 1, Caixin learned from various sources. The accusations that Wu faces in the investigation remain unclear. Wu Bing, chairman of Zhongxu (Hong Kong) Limited and deputy chairman of the Hong Kong-based World Chinese Merchants Union Association (CMUA), was taken away from Beijing West Railway Station on late August 1 and could not be reached contact since then, sources said.

Related: Analysis: Under new management, scandal-hit PetroChina changes course | Reuters PetroChina hire a crisis PR firm? // The world’s third most valuable oil company by market capitalization remains on the prowl for global takeover targets but has vowed to become more choosy and focus on what it calls large-scale and quality projects, company officials said. “The new management is completely different from Jiang Jiemin, under whom PetroChina has been spending like crazy and got into a lot of deals at home and abroad with questionable economics,” a PetroChina official who has attended some recent strategy briefings by the firm’s new management, led by chairman Zhou Jiping, told Reuters. He declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media

“新土改”有望成十八届三中全会重点 _证券时报网 “New Land Reform” may be a focus of the Third Plenum. It has to be if serious about reforms and rebalancing // 在城镇化进程不断加快的背景下，农村集体用地流转、宅基地制度改革等话题不断升温。业界认为，在盘活存量土地，提高土地利用效率的初衷下，新一轮土地改革的核心在于打破土地二元结构限制。据《每日经济新闻》记者了解，国土部门今年工作重点之一也在于此，集体土地确权、流转试点等工作也在各地展开。

Shanghai free-trade zone may be extended to cover all of Pudong | South China Morning Post Government sources familiar with the plan told the South China Morning Post that the government initially considered declaring that the new free-trade zone would take in all of Pudong. “Officials and scholars discussed the possibility of making the entire Pudong New Area a new free-trade zone,” said one of the sources, referring to the official name of the district. They later agreed to focus on smaller areas within the district as they wanted to make sure that the launch would be smooth and successful, said the source, who declined to be named because of political sensitivities. // if true Pudong real estate looks cheap

How the Chinese Government Profits From the One-Child Policy – Yueran Zhang – The Atlantic Despite the demographic challenges presented by the three-decade old policy, local governments depend on child birth penalties to balance budgets and boost the income of politicians.

Related: China silent on demand for disclosure on birth control fines: lawyer | Reuters China’s local governments have failed to account for the use of more than 16.5 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) in fines paid by families flouting strict family planning rules, a lawyer who has joined the call for public disclosure said on Wednesday. Wu Youshui, based in the eastern province of Zhejiang, said he asked for information about fines imposed in 2012 because he believed the system “faced unquestioned abuse of power and corruption”.

Related: “超生罚款”乱象调查:地方政府拿来发奖金_网易新闻中心 去年8月，有媒体报道称，社会抚养费疑遭计生部门挪用，15名学者建议废除。今年7月，浙江律师吴有水致信31个省份的计生、财政部门，申请公开社会抚养费收支、预算等相关信息。但只收到17个省份的回复。昨天，国家卫生计生委对此做出回应称，社会抚养费不属于中央财政收入，也不属于卫生计生部门收入，纳入地方政府预算管理。其收入没有对应的支出科目，也不允许与计划生育支出挂钩。

Apple Will Hold Satellite iPhone Events in Beijing, Berlin and Tokyo — AllThingsD These satellite launches will be held in Berlin, Tokyo and Beijing, and will feature a video stream or more time-zone-friendly replay of the Cupertino event, along with some other content. They’re not an entirely new occurrence; Apple has done them before in London and Tokyo. That said, this is the first time the company has ever held a satellite launch event in China, one of its most important markets. And its scheduling will almost certainly add heft to rumors that Apple is preparing to announce China Mobile as a new carrier partner in the country. // lots of speculation (hope?) Apple will finally announce a China Mobile deal. What if it does not?

Horror on high seas: Deadly tale told at China trial–USA Today– Frightened for their lives, four Chinese fishermen caught on a boat gone mad with mutiny dropped a home-made raft in the Pacific 1,000 miles from Japan. To their horror, the currents swept them back alongside the hull of the Lurongyu 2682 and the waiting mutineers. All four jumped into the sea rather than accept a horrible fate. Three disappeared under the water, never to be seen again, but Song Guochun was pulled back aboard. On deck, the ringleaders told two men who had yet to kill anyone to tie Song up, weigh him down and sink him in the deep. // and no Polynesian beauties at the end for any of the crew

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

China settles record amount of its trade in yuan – AJW by The Asahi Shimbun The amount of trade paid for in renminbi reached 2.05 trillion yuan (33 trillion yen, or $334.9 billion) between January and June, up 64 percent from the same period the previous year and a record for a half-year period, according to the People’s Bank of China. If the trend continues, the figure is expected to top 4 trillion yuan for the full year. The ratio of trade settled in yuan to China’s overall trade during the first six months of the year was also a record 16.4 percent.

China Merchants Bank Raises $4.5 Billion in Share Sale – Bloomberg The sale will help Merchants Bank, the nation’s sixth largest, meet capital needs over five years, speed up growth and cope with growing competition from smaller rivals such as China Minsheng Banking Corp. (1988) and Industrial Bank Co. (601166) Chinese lenders have announced plans this year to raise as much as 327 billion yuan from bond and equity offerings as the regulator tightens capital rules and policy makers crack down on short-term financing.

Western banks still betting on China | beyondbrics The main area banks are persisting in, despite continued poor returns and shrinking market share, is securities dealing and investment banking. Citigroup formed a JV with Orient Securities only last year, joining Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley and UBS, some of whom have operated such businesses in China for more than a decade. Banks like JPMorgan have also been busily building Trust Companies with partners. These businesses are non-bank institutions that manage investment funds and private equity and make loans to companies.

Sober Day Dawns for China’s Baijiu Distillers – Caixin But spirits industry growth came to an abrupt halt in the third quarter 2012 after the quality watchdog raised concerns about the safety of a type of baijiu produced by the Hunan Province company Jiu Gui Jiu Co. Samples of the company’s liquor were found to contain excessive levels of DBP, a chemical plasticizer that can damage the human immune and reproductive systems. Shortly thereafter, the industry faced another sobering predicament when the central government decided to launch a campaign against lavish banquets and gift-giving among public officials, traditional practices that often feature expensive alcohol. Since then, sales of upscale baijiu have slipped. Now, companies that could raise capital almost effortlessly back in 2012 are scrambling for financing. For example in Maotai, Han said, not a few distillery investors have already left town.

China Weighs Deregulating Aviation Market – WSJ.com China is taking steps to deregulate its domestic and international aviation market, and may amend its closely watched air-transport treaty with the U.S., according to a senior Chinese airline executive. Flag carrier Air China Ltd. 601111.SH -1.20% could lose its effective monopoly on some prime international routes within a year while regulators are opening the door to new up carriers in the country’s interior for the first time after half-a-decade of breakneck growth, according to Wei Hou, vice president of Hainan Airlines Co., 600221.SH -0.99% the country’s fourth-largest by traffic.

Ruthless China Shows U.S. How to Deal With Rogue Banks – Bloomberg Everbright’s regulator has now barred four senior executives from ever working in the securities industry again, banned the company from engaging in any future proprietary trades and imposed a fine equivalent to more than half of the company’s 2012 profits. (The company’s president also had the good graces to resign in shame.) Investors are suing Everbright’s management for compensation, since they are the ones who will be stuck paying for most of these penalties….China’s conduct stands in striking contrast to the U.S. government’s treatment of large financial institutions accused of bribery, money-laundering, fraud and bid-rigging — among other crimes…Wouldn’t it be something if the U.S. economy were held back by its unwillingness to embrace the Chinese approach to criminal justice? // Matthew C. Klein should spend some time in China

Sharp Fall in Overseas Investment By Chinese Firms – MoneyBeat – WSJ Chinese firms have become more wary of making big-ticket transactions overseas as the country’s once-a-decade leadership transition leads to a slew of policy changes and tighter credit.

Chinese Landlords in London – Economic Observer Barratt Homes (邦瑞房地产), Britain’s biggest residential developer with a 60 percent share of London’s newly-built housing market, has sold 2,250 housing units to Chinese clients in 2012, which accounts for 15 percent of its total sales. In addition to working with intermediary outlets, Barratt Homes has already set up its own offices in China. Up until now, most other British real estate developers have tended to sell their houses to Chinese investors through intermediary agencies.

Chart: The Extra-Caffeinated Cost of a Starbucks Latte in China – China Real Time Report – WSJ One place where Chinese consumers pay significantly more than their wealthier Western counterparts is in the coffee shop. Below is a break-down of the cost of a StarbucksSBUX +1.53% grande latte in China, which costs nearly $1 more than in the U.S. (Note that average per capita income in China is around $7,500, compared to more than $42,500 in the U.S.)

 

POLITICS AND LAW

Former president Jiang Zemin’s son endorses ‘Chinese Dream’ | South China Morning Post The son of former Chinese president Jiang Zemin mentioned Xi Jinping’s concept of a “Chinese Dream” during a rare high-profile speech on Monday, an act interpreted by some as an attempt to rally support for China’s new leader. “In order to accomplish the Chinese Dream, China needs to adopt a new national strategy that relies on innovation to propel developments,” said Jiang Mianheng, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai branch, in a speech on the first day of term at the newly established ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai Evening Post reported on Tuesday.

央企薪酬调查：领导和职工收入相差十几倍|央企|工资|福利_新浪财经_新浪网 New survey on pay gap between Central SOE bosses and workers…20x or more…// “目前，央企高管与普通人员工资收入差距越来越大，平均差距接近20倍，有的企业CEO工资甚至比普通员工高出上百倍。”国资委研究中心特聘研究员脱明忠接受时代周报记者采访时表示。

Anti-graft website says two more provincial officials sacked | South China Morning Post Wang Suyi, a top official in Inner Mongolia and a member of the regional party standing committee, and Li Daqiu, the former deputy chairman of the provincial advisory body of Guangxi took advantage of their posts by taking “massive” bribes, the Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said in a statement published on its website.

“私域”不是遮羞布（人民论坛） 钟新文 《 人民日报 》 任何一个国家和社会，善良的风俗和健康的伦理都是值得珍视之物，也受法律保护。然而，在近来闹得沸沸扬扬的“大V”嫖娼事件中，有人搬出“私人空间”论，认为公安部门对这一行为的查处，是公权力对私域的侵入。此说令人惊诧。 在这种说法看来，私人空间不是公权力干涉的范围。持此论者大概不清楚，案件是在淫秽场所破获的，他们可能也没有阅读过我国治安管理处罚法和刑法的相关条文，这些法律都明确规定了对卖淫嫖娼、容留他人卖淫，以及聚众淫乱等行为的处罚措施。难道一扇关着的门就可以把法律挡在门外？一个所谓“私域”就能免除法律的管辖？

Xinhua President stresses mainstream media guiding public opinions – Xinhua  An article by Li Congjun appeared [Chinese] in Wednesday’s edition of the People’s Daily, flagship newspaper of the Communist Party of China (CPC), stressing the role of mainstream media in guiding public opinion. The article by the President of Xinhua News Agency echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call at a national conference on the publicity and ideology in Beijing on Aug. 19 and 20, for greater initiative in publicity and ideological work to ensure “correct political direction.” As new media develops rapidly and the Internet has become the major source of information for many, young people in particular, Li called on mainstream media outlets to take the initiative in leading public opinion in new media….Meanwhile, Li called for mainstream media to spread China’s voice louder in the world to gain the initiative in international communication. “Overall, global opinions are still dominated by western media outlets, China’s capacity to make its own voice heard fails to match its international standing,” Li wrote. Particularly, Li went on, some hostile forces in the west hate to see a prospering socialist China, targeting separation efforts and “color revolution” at China, and trumpeting “China threat” and “China collapse” theories aided by some western media outlets. He called on mainstream Chinese media to refute western media’s untruthful reports, and instead, ensure the stories of China are well told.

Head of Xinhua says Western media pushing revolution in China | Reuters “We must continue to be creative in foreign propaganda efforts … to tell China’s story well, explain China’s special characteristics and proactively publicize the polices and positions of the party and government,” Li said. China has poured money into trying to get its voice heard internationally, including English-language television news channels, but they are still widely regarded in Western countries as heavily slanted towards the Chinese government. While China allows several hundred foreign reporters to be based in the country, they face restrictions ranging from police harassment when covering some news, such as protests, to a lack of access to government officials

 

FOREIGN AND DEFENSE AFFAIRS

China asserts clout in Central Asia with huge Turkmen gas project | Reuters The start of production from the Galkynysh field was also a major development for Turkmenistan, the world’s fourth-largest holder of gas reserves, which seeks new export routes for the fuel to minimize its dependence on pipelines to Russia, which resells the gas. Xi and his Turkmen counterpart, Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, simultaneously pressed two symbolic start buttons – two globes the size of basketballs decorated with national flags – to ignite flares at a gas processing plant that towered over the surrounding landscape of sun-baked desert and sand dunes. // [视频]习近平和土库曼斯坦总统共同出席“复兴”气田一期工程竣工投产仪式_新闻频道_央视网

Philippines says China expanding territory before code takes effect | Reuters The Philippines believes China has jeopardized peace and stability in Southeast Asia with its latest incursion, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, and he urged Southeast Asian neighbors to speed up talks on a binding code of conduct (CoC) that will govern behavior in the sea. The Philippines will be filing a diplomatic protest against China after it discovered concrete blocks on the Scarborough Shoal which Chinese ships have been occupying since April last year, he said.

China rebuts Philippine accusation over Huangyan Island – Xinhua Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Wednesday rejected the Philippine accusations that China has begun fortifying Huangyan Island, saying “what the Philippine side said is not true.”

Moon landing mission to use “secret weapons” – Xinhua Multiple “secret weapons” will be used on China’s Chang’e-3 lunar probe, scheduled to launch at the end of this year for a moon landing mission, a key scientist said on Wednesday. The mission will see a Chinese orbiter soft-land on a celestial body for the first time. In addition to several cameras, Chang’e-3 will carry a near-ultraviolet astronomical telescope to observe stars, the galaxy and the universe from the moon, said Ouyang Ziyuan, a senior advisor to China’s lunar program…China’s deep-space exploration should go beyond the moon, and the country’s scientists are actively preparing to implement plans to explore Mars, Venus and asteroids, said Ye Peijian, chief scientist of the Chang’e-3 program.

China drives uptick in U.S. trade deficit – Eric Bradner – POLITICO.com The U.S. trade deficit with China topped $30 billion for the first time in July, boosting the United States’ overall trade gap and prompting a new round of complaints that China isn’t playing fair. The overall U.S. trade deficit grew 13.3 percent to $39.1 billion in July — a major uptick a month after shrinking to its lowest level in nearly four years, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

China Beats U.S. for Korean Students Seeing Career Ticket – Bloomberg The number of South Koreans studying in China more than doubled to 62,855 in 2012 from 2003, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Education. The number of U.S.-bound students grew 50 percent to 73,351 in the same period. “It’s only the beginning in the shift in Korean’s appetite for education toward China from the U.S.,” said Cho Jin Pyou, chief executive officer of Seoul-based Wise Mentor, which provides education and career-path advice. “A flood of Korean students will follow companies going to China for jobs.”

SE Asia Governments Appear to Squelch Social Media Commentary－－VOA Amid the surge in commentary on social media, governments in the region, according to Shawn Crispin, Southeast Asia representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, are seeking to emulate China’s success with controlling online discourse. “Many of these Southeast Asian countries — and we’re talking about the likes of Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia — are increasingly copying some of China’s techniques and methods to suppress online freedoms and increasingly into social media spaces, as well,” said Crispin.

China calls for regional cooperation over Fed quantitative easing tapering | Reuters China and its Asian neighbors should strengthen financial ties to head off risks stemming from any U.S. tapering of its stimulus programme, China’s deputy central bank governor, Yi Gang, said on Wednesday.

 

TECH AND MEDIA

Analysts expect China’s mobile game market to surpass $1.2B in 2013 | GamesBeat China is a gigantic market that is expected to generate over $1.2 billion in mobile game revenues in 2013, according to Asian market-analysis firm Niko Partners. Niko released a report on the Chinese market and found that gamers in that country are swarming to smartphones and leaving behind social and browser-based games. The company expects that Chinese consumers will activate around 500 million smartphones by the end of 2013. That’s a massive increase from 100 million active smartphones in early 2012.

HTC executives steal trade secrets for Chinese city government: report | Reuters Three HTC (2498.TW) executives, arrested on suspicion of leaking trade secrets, were illegally passing on confidential technical information belonging to the Taiwanese smartphone maker to the government of Chengdu city in China, Next Magazine reported. In exchange for the information, the city government will pay for most of the set-up, operation and marketing costs of a company being established by HTC vice president of product design Thomas Chien, who led the design of HTC’s flagship phone One, the weekly magazine said, citing prosecutors.

 

SOCIETY, ART, SPORTS, CULTURE AND HISTORY

媒体揭50年前少年劳教营往事:饿死孩子尸骨成堆_网易新闻中心-网易新闻客户端 a look back at a juvenile labor camp 50 years ago // 核心提示：四川国营沙坪农场大堡作业区曾关押了几千名“小劳教”。在1959年到1961年的饥荒年月，大量孩子因饥饿死亡，存放尸骨的山坡，土堆一排接着一排。近日，媒体跟随幸存者重返大堡劳教营，揭开当年往事。

 

ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND HEALTH

Thousands of Fish Killed by Waste From Chinese Plant – NYTimes.com Environmental protection officials said tests on water taken from the Fu River upstream from the metropolis of Wuhan revealed that extremely high levels of ammonia in the water were caused by pollution from a plant owned by the Hubei Shuanghuan Science and Technology Company.

 

FOOD AND TRAVEL

Chinese Poultry Processors Will Be Allowed To Export Meat To The U.S., USDA Rules Where do chicken nuggets come from? The answer may not be straightforward following the Department of Agriculture’s announcement on Friday that it has approved four Chinese poultry processors to begin shipping meat to the U.S. According to The New York Times, the poultry that processors are allowed to ship will initially be restricted to cooked meat from birds raised in the U.S. But critics worry that the rules will change in the future, opening the door for poultry raised and slaughtered in China — a country notorious for its food safety problems — to be shipped to the U.S.

 

BEIJING

北京户口被指享80余项福利 绑定利益超百万元_新闻_腾讯网 at look at the business of buying a Beijing Hukou and the benefits it brings // 记者多次以不同类型大学毕业生身份接触北京“户口中介”发现，户口买卖这个隐形市场，正以“黑市”独有的灵敏印证北京户口的暴涨“行情”。不少中介称，前几年来稳定在6万—7万元的北京户口行情价已经被打破，如今北京市户口“20万元都不一定能办下来，多的花费40—50万元也是正常的。”

楼面价7.3万 北京新地王“突破想象” | 每经网 record price for a Beijing plot of land…this one by the Agricultural Expo Center…2.1B RMB plus construction of a hospital elsewhere, which was part a move to keep the official price low…the total floor area cost was 73099/sq meter, which means likely sale price of completed construction will be 150,000/m…apparently the proceeds go to the PLA, which owns the land // 9月4日，被视为奇迹诞生的日子，原本应在2012年12月19日入市的“准地王”农展馆地块，在被“雪藏”9个月之后入市。经历69轮竞拍后，以高达7.3万元/平方米的楼面价轻松刷新北京单价地王纪录。中原地产市场研究部总监张大伟用“突破市场想象力”来形容该地块的高成交价。 而在摘地者融创看来，这一切都在预想之中。“在此之前，所有开发商对这块地的价格预期都是在7万以上。”融创北京公司相关负责人对记者表示，该地块的绝版稀缺符合融创一直以来的高端精品路线，“我们将打造具有全国标杆意义的顶级豪宅项目，预计售价会在15万元以上”。…根据北京土地储备中心官网信息显示，朝阳区农展馆北路8号地块位于东三环东侧，原北京军区总医院东院旧址上。

北京抑制地价信号强烈 新华社——经济参考网　But Bejing is trying to push land prices down, based on the results of the two auctions Wdnesday, says Economic Information // 9月4日下午，北京土地市场再现房企之间的抢地大战。被称为北京土地市场“绝版地块”的两宗土地先后出让，引发了包括融创、恒大、中海等多家企业之间的激烈角逐。《经济参考报》记者在查询出让信息时还发现，两宗地块各有特点：其中曾被称为“准地王”的农展馆地块此番是“降价复出”；而豆各庄地块则是北京市在时隔三年之后，重启“限房价、竞地价”出让方式的一宗地块。此外，北京前8月土地出让金已经超过去年全年收入。对此，业内人士分析指出，在平均地价持续上涨的情况下，“降价地王”和“限房价”地块被安排在同一天出让，昭示了北京有意抑制地价的良苦用心。