Nilesh Sharma, the first foreigner employed as a government employee in east China's Zhejiang Province, is in the spotlight again as his one-year employment contract is set to expire next month.

Whether or not Sharma will continue to work in the government is becoming a focal point of the local media.

"Both my office and I plan to continue," said Sharma, 25, who came to China three years ago from India.

"My leader wants me to change the work position from investment promotion to investment service work and also do some trade promotion. It's a matter for negotiation."

Sharma was selected as one of the 15 people to promote investment for the Shaoxing Investment and Promotion Authority from over 200 candidates thanks to his good command of English and former working experience at a multinational company.

Before being a government employee in China, Sharma worked as an English teacher in a technical school in Shaoxing.

A major part of Sharma's job is to promote the local bureau, which was established in 2003 and is a government organization for investment promotion.

Its employees are also required to contact multinational companies which might be interested in investing in Shaoxing and attend seminars to meet overseas investors as well as doing some editing of the bureau's English website, letters and articles, said Sharma.

As a foreigner, working in the Chinese government might be considered no easy task.

"There are too many expectations on me as I am the first foreign official here and I always feel the pressure," said Sharma.

"Sometimes, it is difficult to do my work as people always notice you and put you under the spotlight."

Language is the biggest obstacle, Sharma said.

"It is easier to contact my colleagues as they speak English but it is harder to communicate with local business people," Sharma said.

To overcome these difficulties, Sharma is trying his best to learn the Chinese language, culture and manners.

"As India and China are neighbors, many aspects of Chinese culture remind me of India and I do not feel completely like a foreigner here," said Sharma.

"I feel I belong to here and I believe I can fit in."

An overall evaluation of Sharma's performance in the past year will be made next month.

(China Daily November 15, 2004)