THE country’s residential land prices rose faster in the second quarter than in the previous three months, while those for industrial land posted slower growth, a report from the Ministry of Land & Resources said.

    Residential land prices in 105 cities surveyed gained 1.95 percent in April-June from the previous quarter, which saw a 1.27 percent increase from October-December, according to the ministry’s China Urban Land Price Dynamic Monitor.

    The recovery in China’s property market since late last year has been a rare bright spot in the world’s second-largest economy, which has slowed amid weak demand at home and abroad, cooling investment and excess industrial capacity.

    The land ministry report, dated Friday, showed that Shanghai led growth in residential land prices in the second quarter, with a 6.87 percent gain from January-March, followed by Beijing, with a 4.48 percent increase.

    The Pearl River Delta area in southern China recorded faster growth in overall land prices than the Yangtze River Delta region in eastern China and the Bohai Bay area of northern China.

    “The domestic economy has held broadly steady, but the structural change is under way and downward pressure remains,” the report said. “The ample funding in the property sector is leading to the moderate increases in land prices.”

    For the third quarter, a divergence in the property market between the biggest cities and smaller ones is expected to continue, while overall land prices should rise modestly, the ministry said.(SD-Agencies)