The Beijing Olympic swimming center, known as the "Water Cube", is a donation from overseas Chinese, as well as compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. They've already sent in 830 million yuan. It is a monument to the contributions of all overseas Chinese.

Liu Jingmin, Deputy Mayor of Beijing

In the past century, funding for public services was mostly in urban areas. Now we will have to shift our focus to the countryside. In rural areas, the central government now invests 6 billion yuan every year in safe drinking water, 87 percent will have passenger bus services, and all primary and secondary schools have waived tuition fees. Our next goal is to raise rural incomes and establish a welfare system.

Chen Xiwen, Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs

By the end of this year, all markets and supermarkets at county level or above will have to provide receipts, and all community shops will have to register their sales. This is to ensure that all merchandise can be tracked for suppliers, buyers and product certificates. Currently, the rates are 84 percent and 63 percent. In rural areas, we are pushing for village or town level consumer organizations that will handle customer complaints.

Zhou Bohua, Director of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce

Liaoning Publishing Group has been approved and will be listed soon. A few more publishing companies will be ready for IPOs next year.

All seven of the already listed publishers are on the right track as corporate entities, with State assets growing at annual rates of 40 percent and some with profit growth of 30 percent. At last year's Frankfurt Book Fair, China achieved a surplus in copyright trades for the first time. This year, we had 1,900 licensing deals for exports.

Liu Binjie, Director of General Administration of Press and Publication

The Three Gorges project benefits both the country and the people. The government has taken action to protect the environment. It has issued bonds worth 4 billion yuan to build upstream waste-treatment plants. We are currently using the State Grid to send power to eastern and central areas, as well as Guangdong Province.

Li Yong'an, General manager of the Three Gorges Development Corp

(China Daily October 20, 2007)