Geely chairman Li Shufu said the centre would help Geely improve the quality of its cars.

FORBES: Li Shufu

The likes of Li Shufu, who runs Geely, the car firm that has just bought Volvo (see article), are entrepreneurs, not bureaucrats.

ECONOMIST: The state and business

Li Shufu is chairman of Geely Auto, another success non-government automaker.

FORBES: 2013 Forbes Billionaires List: China's Billionaire Auto Entrepreneurs

And Li Shufu, chairman of Zhejiang Geely told reporters Wednesday at a legislative session that electric-car subsidies should be expanded to fuel-efficient cars, including hybrids.

FORBES: China's Auto Industry Eyes Subsidies For Electric, Hybrid Cars

If Geely, China's largest and brashest privately owned carmaker, succeeds in acquiring such a respected brand it would be a testament to the extraordinary ambition of its chairman and founder, Li Shufu, the self-styled Henry Ford of China.

ECONOMIST: Geely closes in on Volvo: On a roll | The