By Adrian Beresford-Wylie*
A delegation from the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) visited China from 2 to 12 December 2007 as a guest of the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC).
CPAFFC is a quasi government body that seeks to improve China’s image and relationship with other countries and the ALGA delegation was one of several Australian delegations from different spheres of government to visit China to commemorate the 35th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.
The ALGA delegation was led by ALGA President, Councillor Paul Bell, and included Vice Presidents Councillor Bill Mitchell (WA) and Councillor Col Sullivan (NSW), Councillor Ann Benison (Qld), Councillor Dick Gross (Victoria), Councillor John Rich (SA), Mayor Mike Gaffney (Tasmania) and myself.
The program for the visit was determined by the CPAFFC with the aim of giving the delegation an overview of China’s development and culture and an opportunity to raise significant issues of interest with national, provincial and Local Government bodies.
The ten day visit included time in Beijing, the coastal city of Qing Dao, and the southern cities of Shenzhen and Guangzhou. There was an opportunity to visit some major cultural attractions and to observe the progress in construction of the Olympic Games venues, but the focus of the visit from the point of view of ALGA representatives was the opportunity to explore how China is responding to the challenges posed by rapid urbanisation.
The delegation held a series of meetings with Chinese officials from the central government, provincial and city governments and various Chinese companies, with discussions focusing on planning issues.
The shear scale of urban development in China is well illustrated by Shenzhen, an urban area whose population has increased from just 17,000 in 1982 to 10 million in 2007.
The rate of urban development and economic expansion of China is impressively dramatic but is clearly not without problems. Chinese cities are surprisingly modern in appearance but displacement of urban populations without compensation; urban congestion; and pollution; and the sometimes careless destruction of culturally and historically significant sites are all issues Chinese cities face or have faced.
There is an awareness of these problems within Local Government authorities but the delegation gained the impression that as yet there is a lack of consistency in how they are dealt with. Such consistency, and a greater priority will need to be developed, however, as China integrates further into the world economy and as the expectations of its population increase in terms of quality of life.
*Adrian Beresford-Wylie is the CEO of the ALGA.
