Sometimes, what government officials do is simply inexplicable.

As the central government plans for the development of a market economy in the next few years, some local officials are also planning, but only for vain glory.

In one recent instance, we saw a number of cities vying hard to be counted as being in the Yangtze River Delta area - when they are obviously not in that area, at least as traditionally and geographically defined.

Last month, in Nantong - a new industrial town across the Yangtze from Shanghai, mayors of 16 Yangtze River Delta cities held a conference to draw up some common programmes, such as to share their port and logistics facilities, and to swap their human resources-related information.

No doubt, no one can neglect the Yangtze River Delta. With its business centre based in Shanghai, the area is a major economic powerhouse in the country. With merely 6 per cent of the country's population, it is able to contribute around 20 per cent of its GDP, and an even greater chunk of government revenues and investment.

But to reporters' surprise, in the lobby of the conference hall and other places, officials from other cities were pleading to be invited as participants - even though some of them were invited only as observers.

Why do they want so badly to join the Yangtze Delta cities' conference? Some officials declared, as reported by Chinese-language media, the most important thing they wanted was the status.

What does the word status mean? Does it mean being allowed to sit together with Shanghai officials to map out their common development programmes? And why is this opportunity so important? No one has yet explained.

More interestingly, "no, no, no, no," the organizers told the officials.

The number of cities attending the conference is restricted to 16, they said, and there would be no new admissions for the time being. And that response was seen as so arrogant and self-centred that it immediately met with criticism from the Chinese-language press.

There are even reports alleging that the Yangtze Delta development conference did have some money-related criteria, such as a member city's per capita GDP and closeness to Shanghai in business activities.

Is the Yangtze Delta cities' conference a restricted club for rich cities? If it is, then how it could benefit China by helping alleviate its ever growing cross-regional income discrepancies, they asked. Doesn't development mean generating opportunities in rich places (Shanghai, in particular) and pass them on to poor places?

The critics may have a point. But for me, there is an absurdity to the entire episode. Considering the fact that the central government has made a market economy the goal of Chinese reform a long time ago, both the attempt to be termed a Yangtze Delta city and the attempt to deny it are meaningless.

A market economy, by definition, means free flow of goods and services. And if a status, or a name or any entitlement, can affect the distribution, then those who are trying to assign it or deny it are actually trying to block the market economy and slow down the reform that has earned so much respect for China in the world.

Why is status so important - like such-and-such city, even if it is near the border with Kazakhstan, which wants to be a Yangtze Delta city? Who would be impressed, after all? If the local business people can do business with Shanghai as they wish, they would neither have to rely on, nor hope to acquire, any superfluous status.

And if they find that, without such a status, they cannot develop their business interests as fast and as easily as the members from some restricted circles, perhaps what they should do, instead of begging for admission, is to appeal the central government to abolish the club altogether.

Email: younuo@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/07/2005 page4)