Government and Policy

Foreigners get first look at local sessions

By Lu Junting and Song Wenwei (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-28 08:48

NANJING: To Rudi Von Meister, attending an event as important as the opening of the third session of the 11th People's Congress of Jiangsu province in Nanjing on Tuesday was more than an eye opener.

It was also a great opportunity for him and other foreign guests to gain a better understanding of the political mechanism that is important to foreign investors.

For the first time, foreigners were invited to attend the local session. Other foreign dignitaries present at the meeting were Christopher J. Beede, deputy principal officer of the United States Consulate General in Shanghai and the consulate's deputy chief of the political and economic section.

"This is the first time I have attended a Chinese political activity in the 10 years I have been in China," said Von Meister, general manager of IVECO in China, a company that specializes in truck manufacturing and supply and is one of the biggest foreign corporate investors in Nanjing.

He told China Daily that he has carefully read the economic data in the government's report, and is impressed by the efforts made by the government in protecting the car companies in the province from the impact of the global economic crisis.

"We care about the economic development of Jiangsu as a neighboring province to Shanghai," Beede said.

The influence of the financial crisis on the local economy cannot be underestimated, he said. The data, however, shows that the economy of the province has been doing well.

"The government's report is very detailed and I will have to read it several times to digest it all," Beede said.

"I hope I can have a chance to talk with the delegates to hear what they have to say."