How China's rich are shaping national policymaking

AT the annual meeting of the National People's Congress that began on March 5, one group clearly stands out - the 114 of the nearly 3,000 delegates of the National People's Congress (NPC) that are on the Hurun list of richest Chinese.

China's richest people account for close to 4 per cent of the members of the body that officially acts as China's national legislature. This high level of representation is at least somewhat ironic in a nation that still follows Communist doctrine.

But in a departure from the past, China's most successful - and obviously well connected - private entrepreneurs aren't there just for the prestige or to show off. They want to influence policymaking.