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The enormous metropolis of Chongqing in western China is not only one of the world's fastest growing cities, it's also a cornerstone in the central government's efforts to spread the country's booming economic growth to the hitherto neglected central parts of the Middle Kingdom. And there is another Beijing agenda that has sparked increased interest among Swedish companies and Sweden's chamber of commerce: The mega city is to spearhead a more environmentally friendly industrial development in China. An open invitation to the many Swedish companies with expertise in fields such as water treatment and air purification.
But Chongqing has a long way to go before catching up to sister cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Already one of the most polluted places in the world, Chongqing also is also forced to deal with over half a million primarily farm folk migrating to the city in search of jobs and better living conditions.
All in all salary levels at around 50% of what's paid in the coastal cities, cheap electricity, cheap water costs, etc. have a hard time defeating the barriers put up by a general lack of education and experience among large parts of the workforce and "a very slight sense of loyalty towards employers; a chaotic transport sector with a myriad of small businesses relying on personal connections; widespread corruption among city officials; favouring of local businesses over foreign and rising prices and cost levels," according to Bert Felt, a consultant and one of the few Swedes who actually make a home in the massive city, where the sun is only spotted a couple of times a month.
But all is not despair in Chongqing. In an effort to literally clean up the massive city Beijing has dispatched one of the most promising stars in the Chinese Communist Party, Bo Xilai. A man renowned for his purges of corrupt officials and known for achieving results, Mr. Bo is working hard to turn this polluted Titanic of a settlement around. And foreign businesspeople are beginning to pay attention. Companies such as Ford and Mazda have already built plants in Chongqing and more are on the way.
Full story in Swedish
News category: Sweden
Published on this site: Jun. 10, 2008
Source:e24.se
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