China is improving the way domestic construction projects are managed in an effort to lure more foreign investment, Hou Yunchun, Secretary General of the State Economic and Trade Commission (SETC), said at a news conference on Tuesday in Beijing.
To make the use of advanced management methodologies more widespread in China, SETC will sponsor an international conference on project management in next April.
It will mark the first time China has held this kind of conference, Hou said.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization will co-sponsor the conference.
During the Conference, decision-makers from China's central and local governments, representatives from international financial institutions and investors, specialists engaged in project management and entrepreneurs, agreed to exchange their latest research results and management successes and seek practical approaches to common issues existing in project management.
Project management is a popular management science widely used in many fields, including the building industry, the operation of governments and the restructuring of enterprises.
China introduced project management in the early 1980s. In past years, SETC has provided project-management training to heads and project managers from more than 1,000 key State-owned companies.
"But the current number of project management professionals is still too small to meet the need of the economy, given the trillions of yuan worth of projects under construction every year," Hou said.
"To elevate our project management standard will not only sharpen the competitive edge of domestic enterprises but also add to China's charm as a wonderful destination for international investment."
(China Daily October 24, 2001)
