More than 100 domestic and overseas economic experts, scholars and officials from international organizations, as well as senior managers from multinationals are attending the two-day seminar jointly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Municipal Government of Chongqing and the China Office of the United Nations Development Program.

The participants, including Nobel Prize winner James Heckman from Chicago University of the United States, will discuss the development of the western areas, the role of local governments in market capital promotion and the investment projects and financial service for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mayor of Chongqing, the only municipality in western China, said that the capital market in the city is developing well with 66 securities business organizations and 27 listed companies.

(xinhua 06/21/2001)