Shanghai's Mayor Foresees Slowdown In City's Booming Output
SHANGHAI -- Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng forecast that China's financial center will rack up record output of one trillion yuan ($125 billion) this year. But that effectively means that the city's annual economic growth would slow to 9.4%, hitting single digits for the first time in 15 years.
Mr. Han, in a meeting yesterday with a visiting group of U.S. newspaper editors, didn't say why Shanghai's growth might slow. But central-government leaders have targeted slower growth for the whole country this year as they strive to achieve more efficient, balanced development, including putting greater emphasis on environmental protection. Mr. Han said the Shanghai government has pledged to spend at least 3% of its gross domestic product on environmental protection each year.
Last year's 11% GDP rise, to 914.4 billion yuan, was the slowest expansion for Shanghai in 15 years, but it still outpaced the national average of 9.9%. The Shanghai municipal government earlier this year predicted that annual growth would average 9% over the next five years, with annual output reaching 1.5 trillion yuan by 2010.
Maintaining healthy growth in Shanghai is important, as the fast-expanding city of 20 million contributes nearly one-fifth of China's overall output. The city is a primary focus of investment for multinational companies ranging from manufacturers to banks. It is the country's richest city, and its growth has consistently exceeded the national average.
But the heated growth of the past few years also has raised worries of a possible bubble in Shanghai's property sector. City leaders are thought to have irked central authorities with their failure to curb such investments in the face of a national policy to cool the overheated sector.
Mr. Han, 51 years old, said "one of the most fundamental" challenges facing the city government even as it sticks "unswervingly" to opening up its economy is to ensure that growth trickles down to the grassroots. "We stress efficiency in the first round of wealth distribution and equity in the second round of wealth distribution," he said.
The mayor listed a number of projects targeted to help the urban poor, including offering cheap housing to 900,000 households and funding 100,000 jobs, such as traffic wardens to help maintain order on the city's jammed streets.
Mayor Han's term expires in February 2008. He said that if he can "deliver on the plans and programs," perhaps he may be tapped for a second term that would finish in 2013, when "I'll be approaching the age of retirement."
Last week, Beijing Mayor Wang Qishan told the visiting U.S. editors that his job is tougher than that of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. But Mr. Han noted that Beijing is also the seat of the central government, so "it's easier to get things fixed" there than in Shanghai.
市长韩正预计上海经济增速减缓
上海市长韩正预计，这座号称中国金融中心的城市今年产值将达创纪录的人民币1万亿元（合1,250亿美元）。不过这实际上意味著上海的经济增长速度今年将降至9.4%，这也是15年来上海首次出现一位数的增长。
在周一与美国报业编辑访华团的会晤中，韩正并未说明预期上海经济增长减速的原因。不过中国政府已经降低了今年全国的经济增长目标，以实现更加高效和平衡的增长，并开始强调环境保护的重要性。韩正表示上海政府许诺每年的环保投入将至少达到上海市GDP的3%。
去年上海市GDP增长11%至9,144亿元，是15年来增长速度最慢的一年，不过仍然超过了9.9%的全国平均水平。上海市政府在今年年初预计，未来五年的平均年增长率为9%，到2010年上海年产值将达1.5万亿元。
鉴于上海在全国经济中发挥的重要作用，保持上海经济的稳定增长至关重要。对于从制造商到银行的各类跨国公司来讲，上海是它们投资的重中之重。上海也是中国最富庶的城市，其经济增长一直高于全国平均水平。
不过前些年的高速增长也引发了隐忧，人们担心上海的房地产业可能出现了泡沫。中央要求全国为房地产市场降温，而上海市领导却没能抑制上海此类投资过热的情况，人们认为这引起了中央政府的不满。
51岁的韩正表示，在始终不渝坚持开放经济的同时，上海市政府面临的最根本的挑战之一就是保证普通民众从经济增长中获益。他说，我们强调第一次财富分配追求效率，再分配追求公平。
韩正列举了许多帮困项目，包括向90万户家庭提供廉租房，以及提供10万个公益性工作岗位，包括帮助疏导城市交通的协管员。
韩正的任期至2008年2月结束。他表示如果他能完成这些计划和项目，他可能会再度当选，任期至2013年结束，那时“我已接近退休年龄了。”
上周，北京市长王岐山对美国报业编辑访华团表示，他的工作比纽约市长布隆博格(Michael Bloomberg)难得多。不过韩正说，北京也是中央政府所在地，所以解决问题比上海要容易。
