Hangzhou targets talents and ideas for bright future

IN a recent interview with Shanghai Daily, Hangzhou Mayor Cai Qi said that the city is striving to build on its previous successes through innovation.

"For Hangzhou, our unique development model lies in 'harmonious pioneering,' and the core of this is the pioneering work of talents,'' said Cai.

Cai is also deputy party secretary of the provincial capital of Zhejiang Province, and was a member of a party and municipal delegation on a visit to Shanghai last week.

Hangzhou's unrivaled beauty is worthy of universal admiration, and it has been a weekend escape for people from neighboring cities, notably Shanghai.

While its pristine landscapes are generating the city considerable tourist revenues, the natural endowment also imposes serious policy constraints in terms of economic development, which usually entails a heavy environmental price tag.

The city happens to be in the southern tip of the Yangtze River delta region, China's economic engine. Zhejiang is also known for its vigorous private enterprises.

Cai said Hangzhou's development should encapsulate the concepts of first-rate environment, first-rate talents, and first-rate enterprises.

Obviously Hangzhou does not lack resources to substantiate its claims.

The city is home to 37 colleges and universities, whose 400,000 students are invaluable assets to the city's development.

The government has already embarked on a number of training sessions to further orient the students to the market, to help develop their business acumen and prepare them for business startups.

Hangzhou is making a multi-pronged effort in making the city truly innovative.

Aspiring to becoming China's e-commerce center, the city is stepping up its effort in developing office property.

Software development is another direction, in keeping with the city's fame as "paradise silicon valley'' - Hangzhou has been proverbially known as one of China's two earthly paradises, the other being Suzhou in Jiangsu Province.

The city is also putting much effort in its cultural creation industry, which includes online gaming, cartoons and animation.

The other areas of potential growth would be in financial services and logistics.

The concept of innovation is obviously not just restricted to the business sphere, as the government seeks to raise its administrative efficiency.

Cai revealed that the government is drastically streamlining its administrative approval procedures and reducing its staff by outsourcing some of its services to independent entities.

The ultimate criteria for judging the success of these initiatives, according to Cai, is the satisfaction of the masses.

Source: China Daily