Nearly one in every three private entrepreneurs wants to play a
political role as the private sector continues to fuel the
country's economic growth, says a recent survey.
The private sector accounts for 65 percent of China's GDP and
contributes over 80 percent of its economic growth, says the
All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce (ACFIC).
The study was a joint effort by the United Front Work Department
of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the
All-China Association for Private Business Studies, and the
ACFIC.
Though the survey shows that about 70.8 percent of the
entrepreneurs consider business to be their top priority, there are
those who hope to be elected deputies to?the People's Congress
or members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC) at various levels. The National People's
Congress (NPC)?is the highest legislature and the
CPPCC, a political advisory body.
Though the study reflects the rising desire of such people to
engage in politics, their enthusiasm contrasts with the rank or
post they can hold. In fact, they can only assume low-ranking posts
in political or economic organizations, and their proportion at
best can be?fairly small. Moreover, such posts are
concentrated in economic rather than political organizations.
The study discovered that former government officials,
managerial personnel of state-owned enterprises and technical
professionals made up 67.4 percent of the private business owners,
up from 33.8 percent in 2004. In contrast, the ratio of workers,
farmers, and service-trade personnel turned entrepreneurs dropped
from 57.9 percent to 26.7 percent.
Party members comprised 32.2 percent of the private owners who
registered their businesses after 2001.
The majority of the private business owners with Party
affiliations previously worked for the Party or government
organizations at some point in time, with many of them serving as
directors or managers of state-owned or collectively owned
enterprises.
The conclusion is that the make-up of private business ownership
is becoming elite-oriented, says Bao Yujun, director of the
All-China Association for Private Business Studies, which explains
why the new generation of entrepreneurs yearn for recognition and
understanding from society.
(China Daily February 26, 2007)