Bo replacement looks to maintain investment into Chongqing

Zhang Dejiang, the new party secretary of Chongqing, is drumming up foreign investment to the city after the fall of its disgraced former leader Bo Xilai, the South China Morning Post reported. “Chongqing will definitely further open up and be more active in terms of its economic development,” Zhang told businesspeople at a conference in the city on Saturday. “Just like a salesman, one of my main tasks… is to tout Chongqing as a destination for investment. You’re all welcome to come and invest here.” Chongqing received around US$10.58 billion in foreign investment last year, up 66% from 2010. However, some analysts fear that the city’s status as a fledgling foreign investment destination may have been threatened by the political turmoil surrounding the removal of former party secretary Bo Xilai.