China's 150 million entrepreneurs and freelance professionals are being
recognized along with workers, farmers and intellectuals as a new pillar of
Chinese society and economic development.
The Outlook Weekly, Xinhua's news magazine, reports that entrepreneurs and
professionals contribute one third of the country's total tax revenues.
Emerging as a new economic force they include private enterprise owners,
technicians and managers and independent professionals such as doctors and
lawyers.
These well-educated, highly-motivated professionals and business people are
responsible for more than 50 percent of the country's technical patents and hold
nearly 10 trillion yuan of capital.
During the period of China's state-planned economy, people were either
workers, farmers or intellectuals.
The United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Communist
Party of China (CPC) has recognized business people and professionals as a new
pillar of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
Statistics show that the group has already made a significant contribution to
Chinese society. In the prosperous provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, private
enterprises contribute about half of each province's tax revenues.
The United Front Work Department said over the past 10 years, the country's
private enterprises created nearly six million new jobs each year, about 75
percent of the annual total.
The department also noted that some business people and professionals have
made generous charitable donations to society.
Experts said that although professionals and entrepreneurs make a great
contribution to society, their political and social status does not match their
economic status.
Qing Lianbin, professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee,
said professionals and entrepreneurs hoped the Party and government would create
a more favorable policy and legal environment for their development.
Private entrepreneurs hoped some industries, such as construction, logistics
and banking, which are only open to state-owned enterprises and foreign
companies, could also accept private sector investment.
They also believe that private enterprises and state-owned enterprises should
receive equal treatment when applying for bank loans, according to the
professor.
Professionals and private entrepreneurs hoped to play a more vigorous role in
political affairs by being elected deputies of people's congresses and members
of political consultative committees, said Qing.
Qing said the Party and government should push forward a series of reforms,
such as improving the social security system, curbing corruption and breaking
industrial monopolies, so as to promote the healthy development of professionals
and entrepreneurs.
