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City urged to clear growth hurdles
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Song Yingwen
WU HONGJING, a member of the city's consultative body, said in a worried tone at the body's just closed session that this fair city is no longer the most popular destination for many of his overseas friends because, he says, “the procedures for applying business licences take much longer than many other cities in China".
Members of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the advisory body, and deputies to the Shenzhen Municipal People's Congress, the lawmaking body, were straightforward in bringing the issues to the table at their annual meetings. Most of the problems are hindering the government's efforts to make the city more appealing to foreign investors.
The city's leaders, who have been looking for cures to falling exports and stagnant foreign investment in the city, have been quick to respond, vowing to address the problems at “Shenzhen speed".
Railway station
In a dramatic turn of events, Zhang Gaoli, secretary of the Shenzhen CPC Municipal Committee, had to leave the conference venue on Wednesday to attend an urgent meeting at the troubled railway station.
The station, well-built yet notorious for crimes, pirated goods and ticket scalping, had been the target of relentless attacks both by the members and deputies.
Zhang ordered operators and police in the area to take urgent measures to clean up the “window on the special economic zone", the major passage between the city and Hong Kong.
Bureaucracy
“Shenzhen speed" was once a source of pride for the city and has won it praise from home and abroad. However, members were unimpressed, insisting that inefficiency is now a common complaint from investors.
They said that if the situation worsens, the city's investment environment will be ruined: investors complain frequently of officials passing the buck, of rude and indifferent working attitudes of some law enforcers and abuse of power.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Yu Youjun revealed a plan to restructure the municipal, district and township governments in May and June as part of the ongoing campaign to cut red tape.
Education
Ma Mingzhe and Pu Jilong, members from foreign invested companies, said their foreign colleagues have to leave their kids in Hong Kong or Guangzhou because there are no good schools in Shenzhen.
They said there are around 10,000 foreigners living in Shenzhen, but almost no school in the city offers education to international standards. Real international schools need to be established to make the city more welcoming to foreign investors, they told the government.
Such International schools should be able to offer diplomas recognized in foreign countries, allowing the kids free choice of further education in any country after graduation, they said.
Toll gates
Ye Junji, a deputy to the Municipal People's Congress, pointed out that heavy charges from so many toll gates in the city are scaring investors away.
Deputies said there are all together 16 toll stops in Longgang District alone. These toll gates are charging investors in the district over 10,000 yuan per vehicle every year.
“Investors admit that the investment environment in Longgang is good, but regretfully, the tolls have become a heavy burden for them," Ye stated.
In response to almost 10 motions tabled against toll charges, the mayor ordered highway officials to reduce the number of toll gates.
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