“It’s unacceptable to just spend money on the Asian Games without telling the Guangzhou People’s Congress Standing Committee (GPCSC) how much the expenditure!”

Today, during GPCSC group discussion about Guangzhou municipal government’s Report on the Organizing Work of the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games, many committee members complained about a lack of information on sources and destinations of the funds for the two Games.

“This is not even a rough number!” said a committee member. Some members proposed that these information be available to the committee no matter how much the expenditure and where the sources of the funds.

“No one is clear about how much the Asian Games will cost,” said Deng Chengming, a committee member, during the discussion. “Some said it will cost RMB 200 billion. But there’s not an official number yet.”

Deng expressed that because the two Games are financed by companies and their funds not included in the government’s budget, the Guangzhou Finance Bureau has no idea about how much they could cost. But the Guangzhou municipal government needs to make this clear to the People’s Congress so as to be supervised by the Congress and society.

“We cannot supervise the Organizing Committee. But the municipal government needs to tell us what’s going on.” Deng also suggest Guangzhou alert the central government about its expenditure on the Games. “Doesn’t the central government have RMB 2 trillion left to spend? Can we fork over some for the Games? Hosting the Asian Games is not only something on the agenda of Guangzhou, but also of the whole nation.”

Earlier on SCMP:

Government departments at all levels across the mainland are expected to go on a spending spree in coming weeks in a final push to use up as much as 2 trillion yuan (HK$2.27 trillion), or about a quarter of the annual fiscal spending budget that remains unused in state coffers.

Analysts warned the frenzied spending would inevitably lead to widespread misappropriation or waste of taxpayers’ money, or in some instances, embezzlement of public funds.

Previously:

• If You Build it, They Won’t Come
• One Year to the Asian Games, Guangzhou Still Not Getting There
• Lacking Sponsors, Guangzhou Asks Beijing for Help on the Asian Games

Links and Sources:

• Guangzhou Daily via NetEase: Guangzhou People’s Congress asks for transparency over expenditure on the Asian Games. (Chinese)
• South China Morning Post: 2 trillion yuan spree looms on mainland (subscription req’ed)

Here’s a piece that I wrote for the Global Times about its unreadiness and, in case you don’t have time, my points below as to where the city can further improve itself:

• Taxi service: Do not reject passengers, at least don’t do this five in a row.
• Language help: Build more English signs for the buses, subways, etc., and offer basic English training to restaurant staff.
• Outlaw animal brutality and cat-eating

My friends in Guangzhou think the taxi and language problems can be solved before next November, but I do hope the city can offer more to an ordinary tourist like me with or without the Games, as it’s more about being a modern metropolis than preparing for a sporting event.

The cat-eating thing made me sick. It’s been reported over and over and will likely to remain so until the Guangdong provincial government finds a better animal for replacement, which looks impossible.

Links and Sources:

• WSJ China Real Time: Cats Rescued from Dinner Table Face Uncertain Futures
• Xinhua: 1,300 cats rescued from dinner table
• Global Times: Sloppy services bode ill for Guangzhou’s Asian Games

The Games will be held from November 11 to 27 in 2010. With 20 months left, Fang Da’er (方达儿), director of the marketing department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC), said they have so far raised RMB 2 billion (roughly $ 292 million USD). “It’s only two thirds of the total funds needed for the Games, and we can’t guarantee more sponsors would come to us in a short term.” Mr.Fang is afraid that their potential sponsors may lose interests in the Games as the economy crisis prevails in the country. China’s exports plunged by 26 percent in February, as compared to a forecast of 5 percent decline. Its imports fell by 24 percent. “There’re already some companies cancelled their sponsorship plans,” Fang noted.

Xu Ruisheng (许瑞生), vice mayor of Guangzhou and executive deputy secretary general of GAGOC, submitted a proposal at National People’s Congress, the legislative house of China, on March 11 that named “To Support the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Game and the Para-Asian Games by Using the Advantages of the System,” asking the central authority to help solve their financial headache. With unparraled central power, China can expend a great deal of money in a very short period of time. The Beijing Olympics cost at least $ 40 billion USD and the government recently claimed that they made a profit of $ 16 million USD.

Guangzhou won the bid of hosting the 2010 Asian Games in 2004 after its three fellow bidders – Amman, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul – withdrew from the competition. The Games will be co-hosted by Foshan and Shanwei, its two neighboring cities from November 12 to 27. The Para-Asian Games will be held from December 12 to 19, 2010.  For next year’s Games,  GAGOC has already decided to keep the torch relay within China for frugality’s concern.

Previously:

• Beijing Olympics Made $ 16 Million Profit?
• Baijiu Branding, Olympic Style

Related Reads:

• Official Website of the 16th Asian Games
• Reuters: Guangzhou Asian Games torch relay to stay inside China
• China Daily: Sponsors back out of Asiad due to crisis

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