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The continued development of Guangzhou's Nansha District was highlighted in the mayor's annual work report to the city's people's congress, local media reported.
In the report distributed ahead of Thursday's opening of the legislature, Mayor Zhang Guangning also reaffirmed heavy industry's role of principal driver of economic development in the city.
The industries highlighted in Zhang's report, including the auto sector and biomedicine, are all concentrated in the Nansha area, the southernmost district of Guangzhou.
Lin Jiang, an economics professor at Zhongshan University's Lingnan College, said it was helpful for investors to know that the city was still on track. But Lin suggested that instead of trying to compete with Shanghai by building more biomedicine factories, Guangzhou should make use of its integrated advantage and lead as a wholesale center for pharmaceuticals.
While the government was moving the economic center to Nansha, it should also consider how the development could spread over the rural districts and townships of Panyu, Conghua, Zengcheng and Huadu, Lin said.
Guangzhou has set a 12 percent GDP growth target for this year, well above the national 7 percent goal, which was set low to shift focus from output to quality growth.
Zhang's report also signals the government's attempt to ease social tensions by allowing more civil organizations to be established and exploring ways to deal with problems at their source.
Zhang said the government would "strengthen, control and nurture" civil organizations to allow them to play a positive role in providing feedback on residents' complaints, communicating with the government and helping to resolve problems.
Lin said the move "shows that they realize the government can't solve all the problems."
He added that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should be given legal status under laws that made it clear what they could or could not do. The authorities have required the approved NGOs in the city to register with the civil affairs bureau.
Editor: Yan
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