By next year, Nine Dragons Paper is expected to take over Smurfit-Stone, making it the world's largest containerboard maker. And when its third production base, in Southwest China's Chongqing, comes online next year, Nine Dragons Paper will have an annual output of 7.75 million tons, Zhang said.

Zhang Yin

The 12-year-old company's paper machines are currently located in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, and Taicang, in Jiangsu Province.

"To me, the rankings of the China Rich List are just a set of figures that help people evaluate the values of companies," Zhang said.

"I care more about how I can make Nine Dragons Paper a 100-year-old business. It is not only a life-long career for me, but a business that will last for generations because paper recycles itself, generation after generation," Zhang added.

Her proposal to the CPPCC this year is to simplify procedures for companies to extend their land use rights. In China, enterprises obtain their land use rights through leases with a 50-year term.

"Fifty years is a short period for an enterprise. Who will own the right to use the land 50 years later?" Zhang asked.

She suggested that enterprises that meet certain requirements should be able to extend their contracts without going through lengthy and complicated application procedures.

In another proposal, Zhang called for a reduction of value-added tax (VAT).

"China's VAT of 17 percent is much higher than it is in neighbouring countries, such as Vietnam, where the VAT ranges between 5 percent and 10 percent," Zhang said. "That is not helpful to maintain the competitiveness of Chinese products in international markets."

1

2

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)