A lot of media attention was focused on President Hu Jintao's recent visit to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. Many expected Hu to announce plans to turn the boom town into an experimental city that would spearhead political reform.
Hopes were high that Beijing would give the green light to develop the city into a special political region, or announce new development policies for Qianhai - a Shenzhen district to be turned into a modern service industry base and one of the key development zones for Guangdong and Hong Kong.