Shanghai official talks mathematics for blueprint

SHANGHAI - Shanghai's future development needs to be carried out using mathematical logic, with additional support for growing industries while cutting heavy sectors, according to the city's party chief Han Zheng.

Han's "add, subtraction, multiplication and division" concept was mentioned in a speech addressing the meeting of CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference)'s Shanghai committee on Tuesday.

According to Han, who is secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Shanghai should "add" its support for emerging industries that have strategic meanings to the country, including the developing and manufacturing of ships and planes.

The city should also make "multiplications" in government reforms, largely improving its administrative efficiency and legislative system at the same time in order to better serve its citizens.

"Subtraction" and "division" suggests Shanghai should look to eliminate industries with poor records in energy consumption and pollution, according to Han.

Shanghai, an economic hub and financial center of the world's second largest economy, has more than 23 million permanent residents.

Like many big cities, it is seeking new growth engines amid the global economic downturn as well as solutions to problems resulting from rapid urban expansion, including traffic jams and worsening pollution.

Han's speech is the latest outlining the future economic and social development plans of Shanghai. Shanghai, along with other cities in provinces of Zhejiang and Guangdong, have been spearheading reform in China's urban planning.

Han said Shanghai should pursue an economic model highlighting quality and efficiency.

"What we're after is an economic volume that is efficient, high-quality and green," He said.

During Tuesday's meeting, political advisors also echoed the ideas of "small government," calling on the administrative power to retreat in certain fields.

"The cultural market is just one area where the government should respect customers' choices and encourage the market to play its role," said Yang Zhenwu, head of the publicity department of CPC Shanghai Committee.

According to data released by the Shanghai Bureau of Statistics, the city's GDP grew 7.5 percent year-on-year to exceed 2 trillion yuan ($321.2 billion) in 2012, below the 8.2 percent a year earlier.

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