Communist Party members actively engaged in joint ventures   2002-11-07 09:47:22 The presence of the Communist Party in joint ventures and overseas companies may have sounded alien ten years ago, but today overseas bosses are more than familiar with the idea. The Tianjin Economic Technological Area is riding the wave of China's reform and opening－up. Communist Party members are now actively involved in the region's development as well as the overseas businesses' progress. This group of people get together every week. They are all working for Kansai Paint, a Japanese company, and all are Communist Party members. Wang Qingyong,a senior accountant, is a veteran. He joined the Communist Party thirty years ago. Used to working for state－owned enterprises, he said that the Party Committee in a joint venture was very different to that in the SOEs. Wang said, "In the SOEs, Party officials are all full time, but here, they are part time. We use our spare time to hold various activities and discuss latest Party developments. I think our way is more efficient and effective." They are armed with new technology. The Internet is a major tool for them to discuss common concerns about the Party and issues relating to company development. In 1992, there were only four Party members in this company, but today the team has grown to 32 members. It took some time for the Japanese boss to understand and accept it. Shin Ji Iida, Vice General Manager of Shanghai & Tianjin Kansai Paint & Chemical Co. said that the company's development depended on the excellence of employees. In the Tianjin Economic Technological Development Area, the phrases "Party member" and "Party Committee" are no longer alien to foreign bosses. 90％ of the area's over 3,000 overseas companies have Communist Party cells. Sun Ming, director of the Enterprise Working Dept., TETDA, told our reporter that the Party Committee in each enterprise aimed to unite all corporate elite to make more contributions to the enterprise. It promotes hard work and team spirit, according to him. Fresh young faces are also rushing in. Zhang Yushan, who is in his 20's, applied for Party membership early last year. " When I was a worker nine years ago, my goal was to make money. But later, I started to read Communist theoretical publications and Party Constitution and found that if someone follows the Party rules, he will be a righteous man. And I believe that the Chinese Communist Party is the best group in China and its theories are time－tested," he said. The immature faces contain hope for the company's future.