Opinion / You Nuo
Vain glory is a fool's errand
By You Nuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-07 05:36
Sometimes, what government officials do is simply inexplicable.
As the central government plans for the development of a market economy
in the next few years, some local officials are also planning, but only
for vain glory.
In one recent instance, we saw a number of cities vying hard to be
counted as being in the Yangtze River Delta area - when they are
obviously not in that area, at least as traditionally and geographically
defined.
Last month, in Nantong - a new industrial town across the Yangtze from
Shanghai, mayors of 16 Yangtze River Delta cities held a conference to
draw up some common programmes, such as to share their port and logistics
facilities, and to swap their human resources-related information.
No doubt, no one can neglect the Yangtze River Delta. With its business
centre based in Shanghai, the area is a major economic powerhouse in the
country. With merely 6 per cent of the country's population, it is able
to contribute around 20 per cent of its GDP, and an even greater chunk of
government revenues and investment.
But to reporters' surprise, in the lobby of the conference hall and other
places, officials from other cities were pleading to be invited as
participants - even though some of them were invited only as observers.
Why do they want so badly to join the Yangtze Delta cities' conference?
Some officials declared, as reported by Chinese-language media, the most
important thing they wanted was the status.
What does the word status mean? Does it mean being allowed to sit
together with Shanghai officials to map out their common development
programmes? And why is this opportunity so important? No one has yet
explained.
More interestingly, "no, no, no, no," the organizers told the officials.
The number of cities attending the conference is restricted to 16, they
said, and there would be no new admissions for the time being. And that
response was seen as so arrogant and self-centred that it immediately met
with criticism from the Chinese-language press.
There are even reports alleging that the Yangtze Delta development
conference did have some money-related criteria, such as a member city's
per capita GDP and closeness to Shanghai in business activities.
Is the Yangtze Delta cities' conference a restricted club for rich
cities? If it is, then how it could benefit China by helping alleviate
its ever growing cross-regional income discrepancies, they asked. Doesn't
development mean generating opportunities in rich places (Shanghai, in
particular) and pass them on to poor places?
The critics may have a point. But for me, there is an absurdity to the
entire episode. Considering the fact that the central government has made
a market economy the goal of Chinese reform a long time ago, both the
attempt to be termed a Yangtze Delta city and the attempt to deny it are
meaningless.
A market economy, by definition, means free flow of goods and services.
And if a status, or a name or any entitlement, can affect the
distribution, then those who are trying to assign it or deny it are
actually trying to block the market economy and slow down the reform that
has earned so much respect for China in the world.
Why is status so important - like such-and-such city, even if it is near
the border with Kazakhstan, which wants to be a Yangtze Delta city? Who
would be impressed, after all? If the local business people can do
business with Shanghai as they wish, they would neither have to rely on,
nor hope to acquire, any superfluous status.
And if they find that, without such a status, they cannot develop their
business interests as fast and as easily as the members from some
restricted circles, perhaps what they should do, instead of begging for
admission, is to appeal the central government to abolish the club
altogether.
Email: younuo@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 11/07/2005 page4)
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