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SCMP Reporter

Shenzhen's new party secretary has lashed out at city officials for inactivity and bureaucratic thinking which he says is stunting Shenzhen's development.
Liu Yupu accused officials in the city's government departments of harbouring backward attitudes - including a fear of taking responsibility, protection of personal interests and an unwillingness to confront difficulties - as obvious obstacles against further economic development and free thinking.
Mr Liu made the remarks on Tuesday after listening to the suggestions of experts and academics from non-governmental organisations.
'There's a need for some officials to reflect on their faults and correct them,' he said.
Some officials saw their posts in Shenzhen not as opportunities to contribute to the city's progress but to pursue their individual interests, the new party secretary said.
He said many officials in the special economic zone's government were used to routines and 'they have already forgotten Shenzhen's tradition of courageous innovation and high efficiency'.
'[Those officials] would rather do nothing than take any responsibility,' he said.
He also accused the self-serving officials of being ignorant of the gap between Shenzhen and other developed international cities.
They saw only that Shenzhen was the mainland's No1 city and not that its achievements were still well below the expectations of the central government, he said. '[They] even don't want to acknowledge the problems and the gap,' he said.
In his speech, carried by the Southern Metropolis News yesterday, Mr Liu also highlighted the need for Shenzhen authorities to improve the relationships between workers, employers and government.
The new party boss said Shenzhen should impose a new composite evaluation process to assess the performance of municipal officials.
He set goals for the city for its further development, including upgrading industrial technology, looking for new opportunities for economic growth, continuing co-operation with Hong Kong and competing with developed international cities.
Representatives from Shenzhen think-tanks echoed Mr Liu's comments, saying the city's administrative system limited Shenzhen's economic development.
'The officials should emancipate their minds and throw themselves into contributing to the city,' Shenzhen Academy of Social Sciences'  director Le Zheng  said.
Professor Le said Shenzhen should develop into a great international city, not just a developed city on the mainland.
'Our competitors are not just Beijing, Shanghai or Hong Kong,' he said.
'We should compete with Singapore, South Korea or even London.'



Shenzhen's new party boss decries 'self-serving' officials