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New advisors on the nation's political horizon
(China Daily) Updated: 2008-02-29 09:00 1993 was a remarkable year for billionaire Liu Yonghao, for that spring he became the first entrepreneur to appear at a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) press conference. Liu, who has twice topped the Forbes fortune list in China, made his fortune selling pig feed. He will be in Beijing again, possibly with a blueprint for the agricultural industry. But this time he'll feel more at home in the CPPCC, for it has more than 100 other businesspersons.
With the flourishing private sector in the country, entrepreneurs are becoming more and more active as political advisors. But they are not the only group to have done so because the country's highest political advisory body now comprises Olympic officials and sponsors, sportspersons, environmental experts and people from the world of entertainment, too. All of them will be at work during the annual CPPCC session, which begins on March 3. Though the list of the rich in the CPPCC changes every year, reflecting China's dynamic economic development, some of the old faces can still be seen this year. The country's richest woman, Nine Dragon president Zhang Yin, was under the spotlight last year, and would still be there this year. Other familiar faces include Li Shufu, chairman of Geely Automobile Holding Co, China's largest private carmaker. |
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