Overseas Land Investment in the Era of Carbon Neutrality: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 2008 to 2026

Overseas land investment has emerged as one of the most complex human–environment system challenges of the twenty-first century, yet its evolving role under global carbon neutrality targets remains theoretically under-specified. This study conducts a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis of 145 English and 38 Chinese publications (2008–2026) to map the intellectual landscape, identify divergent research priorities, and examine the implications of carbon-credit-based land investment. Our analysis reveals three distinct evolutionary phases—from conceptual emergence and mechanism analysis to interdisciplinary expansion—and identifies three parallel divergences between Chinese and international scholarship: contrasting research stances, thematic priorities, and governance imaginaries, all rooted in China's transitional position within a Western-dominated discourse system. We conclude that China must transition from rule-adaptation to active governance participation, and identify priority pathways including property-rights protection, carbon-standard alignment, and polycentric governance frameworks that balance food security, host-country development rights, and global ecological justice. These findings provide both theoretical synthesis and actionable directions for governing land-based carbon markets in an era of geopolitical fragmentation.