New Shenzhen mayor says honesty will be a hallmark of his tenure

Shenzhen's acting mayor lost no time in assuring the public that the period of corruption under Xu Zongheng, his predecessor, was over.

'In the future, if anyone - including my family and comrades - seeks personal gain by citing my name, please refuse without exception,' Wang Rong said during his inaugural speech, Guangdong media reported yesterday.

Mr Wang pledged to Shenzhen's cadres and residents that integrity and honesty would be his hallmarks as the city's new leader.

Mr Xu made a similar pledge when he became Shenzhen mayor in 2005. Mr Xu was detained and then fired last week for corruption and trying to offer bribes for promotion.

Mr Wang, whose nomination will not be approved until the city legislature meets next spring, has already raised expectations with a record of clean and efficient administration and with his achievements in developing Suzhou , Jiangsu - where he was the Communist Party secretary - into an innovative city in the Yangtze Delta.

Shenzhen media has publicised and reviewed his lectures and activities in Suzhou.

'Costs and investment are required for reform, stabilisation and development,' he said in Suzhou in a speech that the Southern Metropolis News reprinted online yesterday.