Making the right moves

At a seminar hosted by Advanced Business Park (ABP) at Xihu State Guest House in Hangzhou last month, Xu Weiping was promoting his idea of a "free economy" - trying to strike a chord with dozens of government officials, renowned researchers and business people attending the event.

The comfortable manner in which Xu went about promoting his idea was remarkable since the term is one that is generally used belligerently by private entrepreneurs to show their resentment over the opaque and restrictive manner in which the authorities operate.

By endorsing a free economy, they mean to urge officials to ensure fairness and transparency in policymaking instead of clandestinely supporting state-owned juggernauts to dominate the markets.

However, Xu, the founder and chairman of ABP, thought otherwise and added a colourful new dimension to the concept of free economy. He likened such an economy to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, which is famous for its wild animals, notably lions and leopards.

"I was deeply impressed by Maasai Mara during a visit to the national reserve in 2006, where the animals appeared vibrant and healthy," he said. "It would be great if we could create a business environment like that, but I don't think government policymaking is the key argument in the process."

Xu is confident that ABP, a developer that rose to global prominence for its £1 billion (HK$12.3 billion) project that will transform east London's Royal Albert Dock into an Asian business port, could play a big role in achieving his goal of a vibrant free economy akin to the Kenyan wildlife park in China.