【英语中国】丑闻无碍中国展示成都

A symposium in Chengdu this week celebrates the accomplishments of Chinese entrepreneurs. A scandal unfolding in the same city appears to highlight how business owners sometimes tie up with officialdom.

The World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention opened on Wednesday in the capital city of Sichuan Province. Chinese media report 3,200 guests will attend and that top politicians endorsed the work.

But the long-scheduled conference comes arrives just as a number of Chengdu's best known businesspeople have gone missing. As The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, their mostly unexplained absences follow the Communist Party's announcement last year that a politician who ran the city as Communist Party secretary and mayor was detained on suspicion of corruption.

A former Chengdu chief and other government officials and executives are in custody for suspected corruption, according to the local government. Authorities didn't respond to faxes and phone calls about the fate of others.

The worry in Chengdu, known for its panda eco-center and spicy food, is about how the scandal might affect its vitality as the gateway to China's rugged west.

There was little sign that political problems had dampened the interest among top Chinese politicians to show off Chengdu, a city that has hired international public relations experts and is keen to position itself for international investment. For instance, the entrepreneur convention attracted greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to state media.

A featured speaker was one of China's top officials, Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a political advisory body that includes some of China's wealthiest businesspeople.

Mr. Yu told the group of rich overseas Chinese and others from foreign countries that they may get richer still, Chinese state media said. 'China has come to a stage where industrialization, the development of information technology, urbanization and modern agriculture are accelerating to make tremendous market capacity and strong demand that will provide bigger potential for Chinese entrepreneurs from all over the world,' Mr. Yu said.

While overseas Chinese attendees to the conference have been critical to their nation's economic success, some of the missing entrepreneurs in Chengdu have been just as important to their city. For instance, festivities for the Chinese Entrepreneur convention are being held in facilities built by the best known of the missing tycoons: Deng Hong, the billionaire founder of Exhibition & Travel Group.

The convention center is around the corner from another building recently built by Mr. Deng, New Century Global Center, which bills itself the world's biggest building in square footage.

本周在成都举行的一个大会意在庆祝华商的成就。同样也是在成都，一起逐渐揭开的丑闻似乎凸显出官商有时是如何勾结起来的。

Tim Franco for The Wall Street Journal成都高档购物区。世界华商大会(World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention)周三在四川省会成都拉开帷幕。中国媒体报道说，将有3,200位来宾出席会议，高层政府官员对此次会议给予了支持。

但这个早就安排好的大会开幕之际恰逢几位成都最知名的商业人士陆续不见踪影之时。正如《华尔街日报》周四报道的，他们从人们视线中消失的原因大多不得而知，但此前，中共去年曾公布说，一名曾担任成都市委书记和市长的官员因涉嫌腐败而被拘留。

据当地政府说，一位前成都市委书记及多名政府官员和企业高管因涉嫌贪腐被拘留。有关部门没有回复记者询问其他人情况的传真和电话。

对成都的担忧焦点在于，鉴于成都扮演着中国西部门户城市的角色，这起丑闻可能给该市的活力带来怎样的影响。成都以大熊猫繁育研究基地和辛辣的美食而闻名。

几乎没有迹象表明政治问题打击了中国高层官员展示成都的兴趣。该市聘请了国际公关专家，迫切希望为外商投资创造条件。比如，据国有媒体报道，中国国家主席习近平向世界华商大会致贺信。

大会上的一位特邀演讲者是中国的一位高层官员、全国政协主席俞正声。全国政协是一个政治协商机构，其成员包括中国一些最富有的商业人士。

中国国有媒体报道说，俞正声对与会的海外华商和其他外商说，他们的事业会有更大的发展。俞正声说，目前中国正处在工业化、信息化、城镇化、农业现代化加速发展的时期，有巨大的市场容量和强劲的市场需求，将为广大华商事业的发展提供更富潜力的市场空间。

尽管与会的海外华商对中国的经济成功发挥了至关重要的作用，但一些失踪的成都企业家对该市也同样重要。比如，世界华商大会的庆祝活动将在失踪企业大亨中最知名的一位所建造的设施中举行。这位大亨就是亿万富翁、会展旅游集团(Exhibition & Travel Group)的创始人邓鸿。

该会议中心位于邓鸿最近建造的另外一座建筑新世纪环球中心(New Century Global Center)附近。新世纪环球中心号称是世界上面积最大的单体建筑。