The 16th CPC National Congress shows a good gesture to Chineseprivate enterprises. General Secretary Jiang Zemin's report at the congress indicates that the Party and the Chinese government havegiven high priority and will offer greater support to non-publicsectors in the future. These developments fire privateentrepreneurs with enormous enthusiasm and increases people'sconfidence in the prospects for private business in the country.

Jiang Xipei, president of the Far East Co., Ltd., a privately ownedenterprise with assets of 1.2 billion yuan based in Jiangsu, is adelegate to the congress. He is one of a few representingentrepreneurs of private businesses among the 2,114 delegates tothe congress, the majority of whom are from various ministries andgovernmental departments, the military forces, provincialgovernments, universities and research institutes, publicestablishments and rural areas. Though his group is the smallest,it is in no way the least, as it is first time a CPC nationalcongress has delegates of private business owners.

"Jiang Zemin's report is very inspiring," said Jiang emotionally inan interview with china.org.cn. "It says the Party will firmlyencourage, support and guide the development of non-publicsectors." Jiang Xipei joined the Party in 1991 as a privateentrepreneur, a practice unprecedented in the Party's history. "Weare more assured about the government's policies and my companywill surely made a headway. I believe there will be an even betterenvironment for our growth."

The report shows that the Chinese Communist Party is a leadingparty that progresses with the times. Jiang Xipei said the joiningof private entrepreneurs like him to the Party shows thatnon-public sectors have also been recognized as a force ofsocialist construction. "The Party and the people trust us and I,as a Party member and an entrepreneur, will undoubtedly reciprocatemore to the people and the society," said Jiang, whose company hasfunded many social welfare projects, including establishing HopeSchools, building roads, supporting poor college students andsetting up homes for the aged.

Jiang's report says it's improper to judge whether a person ispolitically advanced or not simply by his financial status. Thecurrent congress will hold a formal discussion on the matter ofallowing private business owners to join the Party.

Zhan Shengda, another private-entrepreneur delegate from Jiangsu,is from the Jiangsu Zongyi Group. He thinks the report will usherin a golden time for Chinese private firms.

"Inoticed it's the first time that the word firmly' is used in aParty report to describe its support for private business," saysZhan. "I believe all private entrepreneurs will be stimulated bythe report. China will see a more sound and quicker growth ofprivate businesses."

Private enterprises in China actually have the equal rights incompetition with state-owned enterprises in many fields. Inaddition, more and more fields will open to the non-public sector.Zhan said he is going to seize the precious opportunity toaccelerate the development of his company. "As a Party member," headded, "I will continue my efforts in creating more jobs andhelping more people raise their living standard. I hope I can helpmore people become millionaires or even billionaires."

Chinese governments at all levels have adopted many measures,including issuing more bank loans, widening market access andreducing taxes, to back the development of private enterprises.Zeng Peiyan, chairman of the State Development and PlanningCommission, reveals at a press conference yesterday that thecountry will let private enterprises issue bonds to raise funds aslong as these firms have good credibility.

Private enterprises have contributed to socialist construction andcreated many job opportunities for the society. Their successfulexperience can also serve the reform of SOEs, said Zeng.

Liang Baohua, vice-governor of Jiangsu Province, says that Jiangsuhas adopted flexible and preferential policies towards privateenterprises, including that of land-use right, taxation and foreigntrade. They are encouraged to take a bolder step in theirdevelopment and even go overseas to occupy larger markets.

Jiangsu is a bastion of private enterprises in China. It has267,000 private firms, the most in China, with total registeredassets of 180 billion yuan. It occupies one fourth of the economiccomponent of the province.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Guo Xiaohong November 12, 2002)