Changchun mayor meets press at chinadaily.com.cn
(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-03-08 21:26

[china.org.cn:] The First Automotive Works Corp plays a leading role in the local economic development and is the city’s pillar industry. On the one hand, the rapid development of China’s auto industry has helped boost Changchun’s development, but on the other hand, the city depends too much on this industry. In your view, Mr. Mayor, is this phenomenon on excessive dependence on a single sector conducive to Changchun’s long-term development?

[Mr Mayor:] Auto manufacture is Changchun’s primary pillar industry with an annual production value of 133.6 billion yuan, or about US billion. That figure accounts for almost 80% of the city’s overall industry output. It is a fact that the auto-dependent industry structure will bring risks to the city’s development. But as we know, there are risks in everything in a market economy. The key lies not in the auto industry’s proportion, but in its quality. Has it reached the world’s top level? Can it go out and compete with those international giants? In the States, auto manufacturing is Detroit’s prime industry. You know how much its annual production value is? A total 500 billion dollars. Therefore, I think the real risk ahead of Changchun is that its auto industry is not large enough and strong enough.

[Mr Mayor:] We will firmly evolve our auto industry into a larger, stronger status. We support the FAW to become a flagship in the country, as well as to become a big name in the world. In the meantime, our farm product processing, optoelectronic and biomedicine industries are growing soothingly. We will attach more importance to them as well as our characteristic industries such as construction material, energy, logistics and tourism, to realize the industry group’s common development.