Mounting the hammer-and-sickle flag on his luxury car's control panel, Liu Sirong, a wealthy businessman in south China's Guangdong Province wishes the red symbol of the Communist Party of China (CPC) would bless him for the future.

Starting from a producer of cheap underwear, Liu reached his personal height five years ago when he was elected delegate to the CPC's national congress, a twice-a-decade event when the Party would set its governing agenda.

Liu was among the echelon of private business people who were entitled by the Party Constitution amendments to join the CPC. And they would also have chance to occupy seats to the CPC national congress, which usually groups about 2,000 delegates.

Before amending the Party Constitution at the 16th national congress in 2002, the CPC only allowed workers, peasants, service people and intellectuals, who were among the proletarian class, to become its members.

More than 1,500 private entrepreneurs joined the CPC last year, taking up 14.4 percent of the 10,773 members from new social strata, according to official statistics.

While sitting the CPC national congress, Liu said, "I'm so proud to introduce myself to other delegates as a private entrepreneur."

The change of Liu's political standing was accompanied by the success of his business. He tried to bring his Chaozhou-based Gold Tide Group, which manufactures garments, to a local strong in 2006, when its revenue reached 419 million yuan (US$55.9 million), a significant growth from those of 170 million yuan in 2002.

The 50-year-old Liu said in an interview with Xinhua, "We would have more room to flex our muscles if we are on the equal political footing with companies financed by the state."

Since the 16th national congress, the CPC clarified that it would firmly encourage, support and cultivate non-public economic sectors. Under such circumstances, some areas which were previously forbidden for the private sector are accessible. State- owned enterprises no longer enjoy exclusively preferential policies.

In 2005, the State Council promulgated the first ever governmental documents to support and facilitate the growth of non- public economy and pledge to grant non-public enterprises equal treatment with all other enterprises.

"In the past five years," Liu said, "we did lots of things that we would have not even thought about before."

In 1994, Liu and his partners bought out a village-owned factory for four million yuan and renamed it to Gold Tide.

Liu innovatively combined know-how of the traditional local embroidery with modern streamlines. The garments Liu's company is now manufacturing are welcomed in North American and Japanese markets. Liu now seeks new profits in designing and making wedding gowns and full dresses, while diversifying his investment portfolio by spending 180 million yuan in AV disc production lines and bidding for land for real estate development.

Touring Poland, Hungary and Russia, Liu said he was impressed that the allies of the former East bloc are not going well with economic growth. "Our nation would be stronger and more powerful if we stick to our reform and open-up cause."

Liu and his class are now thriving forces. By the end of 2006, China had had 4.94 million private businesses, with the total investment of over 7.5 trillion yuan. Among the 70 million CPC members nationwide, nearly three million come from the private sector, which is better represented at the ongoing 17th Party national congress.

Wisdom and expertise from the private sector were also recruited by national and local political consultative bodies. Yin Mingshan, board chairman of the Chongqing-based Lifan Group, a privately-owned motorcycle producer, emerged as the first private entrepreneur assuming a provincial post after being elected as deputy chairman of Chongqing Municipal Committee of the CPPCC in 2003. The same year, Xu Guanju, board chairman of detergent manufacturer Chuanhua Group, was elevated as deputy chairman of the CPPCC Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2007)