57 Besides Shenzhen, Beijing estab-
lished other SEZs in Zhuhai and Shan- tou in Guangdong province, at the port of Xiamen in the south-eastern province of Fujian and on the southern island of Hainan.
Last century’s model But 30 years later, some analysts wonder whether the model still makes sense. One of the main questions is if man-
ufacturing for export is as benefi cial as it once was. The model has shortcom- ings, with social services in these spe- cial zones not matching the economic progress achieved. Wages have changed little and the
workforce is on edge. The offi cial news agency Xinhua reported that some low- level workers in Shenzhen have not had any pay increases in the past decade. The secretary of the Shenzhen Mu-
nicipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Wang Rong, believes the model is still relevant and that the city will continue to play the role of “fi rst mover” and strive to be at the “vanguard of China’s scientifi c development”.
There are high expectations that Shenzhen will pave the way towards wider political reform, setting an example for the rest of the mainland
In August, the State Council de-
creed the city to be “a national econom- ic centre” and “a city of global clout” in cultural, economic and technological exchange. During his recent Shenzhen visit,
Mr Hu outlined a role in politics, saying Beijing would “support the brave explo- ration of the special economic zone as
well as its role of testing and carrying out reforms ahead of others”. Qin Xiaoying, a researcher at the
China Foundation for International and Strategic Studies, is more cautious, ar- guing that to keep its leading position in economic development, Shenzhen should rely on the judgment of its people in charting its future. There are high expectations that the
city will pave the way towards wider po- litical reform, setting an example for the rest of the mainland. Shenzhen is changing and correcting
some of the faults it has grown up with. After a series of strikes and worker
suicides earlier this year, the city has drafted new labour rules to smooth indus- trial relations. The proposals include the establishment of a mechanism for collec- tive negotiation of periodic pay increases in order to reduce labour disputes. The city’s future as an internation-
al city is just “around the corner”, says billionaire Li Ka-shing, chairman of Cheung Kong Holdings. There remains an air of optimism about Shenzhen’s development.
OCTOBER 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148