Chinese netizens tout chengguan for Detroit recovery  

底特律复苏呼唤“中国城管” 中国经验能否救经济

美国联邦调查局本周刚刚公布的年度大都市犯罪率榜单上，昔日的“汽车城”底特律以显著优势“荣登”危险城市榜首，并拿下最高谋杀率与暴力犯罪“双冠王”。然而，对于中国投资者来说，这一全美史上最大破产保护城市似乎是一块风水宝地。[查看全文]

Houston(CNS) -- Netizens have joked that Detroit might need the chengguan - China's urban enforcers - for recovery while the city struggles with service delivery amid renewed investor interest.

News of the city's bankruptcy, coupled with a China Central Television report released in March stating that two houses in Detroit cost the same as a pair of leather shoes, have piqued investors.

No wonder a poster on Sina Weibo reads, "Seven-hundred thousand people, quiet, clean air, no pollution, democracy — what are you waiting for?"

A Chinese real estate developer recently visited Detroit to study the possibility of building a China town there. Caroline Chen, a local real estate broker in Troy, Michigan said he didn't hesitate after being told the negative information.

He wanted to benefit from the city's recovery, taking Shanghai's Pudong district as example, Chen explained.

City services have shockingly deteriorated across Detroit. Average police response times clocked in at almost an hour. Tens of thousands of broken streetlights mean entire streets go dark at nightfall, while only one third of ambulances can offer help, according to foreign reports.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has declared Detroit the most dangerous city in the US with the highest murder and violent crime rates during 2013. Besides, only 8.7 percent of crimes in the city are solved, compared to a statewide average of 30.5 percent across Michigan.

"People are worried about being car-jacked while getting gas. People are getting robbed in their own driveways. Churches are hiring security guards because they are afraid," Detroit Police Commission Chairman Willie Bell said.

Netizens jokingly suggested the city learn from China's experience in urban management.

China's overseas investment almost doubled year-on-year to $9.79 billion in September. The country's outbound investment in the US logged yearly growth of 28.2 percent to $3.95 billion in the first three quarters, a large portion of which is in property.