Radio Liberty’s Uzbek Service reports that farmers in Uzbekistan say the government is forcing them to surrender their land to Chinese businesses under the guise of state-backed development, taking thousands of hectares of fertile cotton and wheat fields out of the hands of locals.

Concerned over the fate of the lush lands of the Ferghana Valley, they told RFE/RL that large patches of land have been taken into the state reserve and transferred to Chinese businessmen.

Official documents reportedly say the land transfers are voluntary.  But dozens of accounts given to RFE/RL from those who signed over their land appear to describe a different reality: coercion, threats, and intimidation by Uzbek law enforcement officers acting on orders from local officials.

RFE/RL notes that land transfers in the Ferghana Valley, which is shared between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, are the latest flashpoint in what is becoming an increasingly visible and volatile undercurrent across Central Asia -- a surge of anti-Chinese sentiment driven by land disputes, debt dependency, labor market tensions, and fears of creeping influence.

Under Uzbekistan's Law on Farming, a farmer leases state land for 49 years.  Neither the local government nor the prosecutor can take it away.  According to the legislation, the land can only be seized by the state by court decision.

Farmers, though, say and seizures are being carried out based on a verbal order from Shuhrat Abdurahmonov, the head of the region.

Regional administrations reportedly failed to comment on the claims by farmers when contacted by RFE/RL.

Concerns over China taking over the use of large swaths of land extend beyond the farming community.

Beijing’s economic presence in Central Asia has reportedly grown rapidly in recent years under China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.

Chinese investments promise infrastructure, jobs, and technology.  But experts warn of a darker side.

Uzbek political analyst Nargiza Murataliyeva points out that Central Asian countries are increasingly falling into what she calls China's "economic trap:" easy access to credit -- often with opaque terms -- that can eventually leave weaker states vulnerable to political pressure or asset forfeiture.

Murataliyeva points out that Beijing gained over 1,100 square kilometers of land in Tajikistan in 2011 in exchange for debt relief, a clear example of the potential consequences of falling into this "trap."

China is already the largest lender in Uzbekistan, with outstanding loans totaling US$3.8 billion.

Debt repayments, land transfers, and rising Chinese economic control reportedly also feed local perceptions of "neocolonialism," especially when local communities are excluded from decision-making processes.