*
الدني
8
noted, however, that such an investment is probably greater than the existing amount of foreign investment in Shenzhen · (see above paragraph 15) and that an area of 27 sq.kms. represents no less than 27.6% of the total land area set aside for urban development in the SEZ (1.e. 98 sq.kins.).
17.
During his conversation with the Political Adviser, Mr. Wu also confirmed that in June he had signed a "letter of intent" with the Guangdong authorities for a highway system linking Shenzhen and Zhuhai with Guangzhou. Although a Hong Kong team of consultants was presently engaged in a feasibility study of the project, Mr. Wu predicted that it would be at least a year before any construction work could start. (See also "HK-Shenzhen" Traffic Links").
18.
It is also difficult to assess the feasibility of Shenzhen's reported plans to build a deep-water port and an airport in the west of the SEZ near the Special Industrial Zone at Shekou. There have been frequent references to plans to develop a port at Chiwan at the tip of the Shekou peninsula and to build an "international" airport at either Hou Hai or Xixiang. Whilst the port plan appears marginally more feasible, neither project is likely to be completed in the near future.
Assessment
1.9.
They
Xu Dixin, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and Fang Zhuofen from the Academy's Economic Research Institute, have both recently written articles explaining the theoretical orientation of the SEZS. pointed out that the SEZs are at a basically experimental stage but that Shenzhen is in the forefront of the experiment. Both argued for "more special" and "more flexible" measures for the zones. Supporting his argument that the central leadership can afford to promote a "truly special" SEZ at Shenzhen without its having serious implications for the overall development of China's domestic economy, Fang compared Shenzhen's tiny land area of 327.5 sq.kms. with China's total land area of 9.6 million sq.kms.
CONFIDENTIAL
/20.