ZHANG XINSHENG, China’s vice education minister, told the Shenzhen Daily yesterday that he appreciated Shenzhen’s efficiency in preparing for the 2011 Universiade.
“I inspected your construction projects for the game and other preparation works such as launching a new Web site to promote the game. It’s amazing that the city can finish all these things within merely six months,” he said, adding that holding the Universiade will be a win-win move for the city and the International University Sports Federation (FISU).
“It will help the city get more attention from the world,” Zhang said. “The event can also boost the development of the education sector and be financially rewarding,” he said.
He said the ongoing fifth AUSF General Assembly at Wuzhou Guest House shows what an important role Shenzhen can play.
“The city has a prosperous economy and a well-knit society. And as China’s first window to the outside world, the city is closely linked to Hong Kong and Macao, both in geography and in economic growth,” he said.
“Shenzhen is within four hours’ flight from other major cities — like Tokyo, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur — in East Asia,” said Zhang, “giving it prominence in the region.”
Zhang said he believed that the FISU represented youth, dynamism and the future, similar to the spirit of Shenzhen. Also, the city’s spirit of reform and openness has a special significance for the FISU, an organization seeking reform after 50 years of successful development.
“The distinctive young city bubbles with energy and has impressed the world with its bold reform, and that’s what George E. Killian has been endeavoring to bring to the FISU,” he said.
Zhang is currently a vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee and a member of the FISU executive committee.
He injured his spine in an accident during a working visit to the northern Chinese city of Harbin early this year, but insisted on attending the FISU executive committee conference and did his best to support Shenzhen’s bid. (Tan Xiaomi, Shenzhen Daily)