SEPTEMBER 18, 2001

Shanghai city government pushing for international investment

THE Shanghai city government, which is pondering a bid to host a Grand Prix in 2003, is very keen to attract international business to the city, which used to be China's primary trading center and international influence meant that the city developed a strong cosmopolitan element before the Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War in 1949. It was not until 1984 that Shanghai began to open up again and in recent years the city has been trying to win back international companies. It still has superior infrastructure in comparison to other Chinese cities and the mayor Xu Kuangdi hoped to use that advantage - along with tax breaks for international companies - to pull in foreign money.

The idea of hosting a Grand Prix in one of the city's parks. The obvious place for there to be a race would be Huang-p'u Park where Shanghai's most famous street, known as The Bund runs alongside the river. This is dominated by the old pre-war buildings of the colonial era.