Foreign Affairs magazine offers up the "10 Worst Chinese Laws," and one of them has an eerie similarity to some things that happened at the state and local level in this country:

"Although one can own buildings and fixtures on land, the land itself still belongs to the state. The Chinese government also has a right to seize private property for 'a public purpose,' a vague standard that is often exploited by commercial interests. The state must “provide compensation” for such seizures, but it usually offers a menial amount."

The need to draw a clear line between the American form of limited government and the Chinese practice of arbitrary rule is yet another reason why eminent domain reform is so important.