William Irfon Williams has seen many changes since arriving in China 16 years ago -- not least the fact that the locals no longer regard him as a visitor from another planet.

"There have been great changes in China since I came here 16 years ago," says Williams, 53, a foreign expert working in Shanxi Province, north China.

Williams said the country's successful development could be attributed to the Communist Party of China (CPC). "It (CPC) has done a great job in this country with a huge population," the Englishman says.

A coal man his whole career, Williams is no office worker in a Beijing or Shanghai skyscraper, but the general manager of Asian Operations Komatsu, which is in cooperation with the China's biggest strip mine, Pingshuo, in Shanxi.

Having worked in Africa for 12 years and the Philippines for two before coming to China, Williams maintains an emotional attachment to developing countries.

The winner of China's 1994 Friendship Award for outstanding foreign experts says the earth-shaking changes in China are closely connected with the progress of the CPC itself.

It is true that the CPC represents the development requirements of China's advanced social productive forces and the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of Chinese, he says.

As the government focuses on economic development, there's been a lot of communication and technology transfer between China and the outside world, which has greatly improved livelihood and standard of living of Chinese people.

Williams admits that when he first came to Shanxi, life was simple and dull. "I likes to play football, but people here didn?t do sports at all." Locals, already seeing him as extra terrestrial, looked doubtfully on the sports-oriented foreigner.

He finds it hard to believe that the once isolated town Shuozhou has turned into a prosperous city in such a short time. "When I first came here, there were only farmers, but now in town, there are also doctors and banking people and all sorts of people and the expressway will soon be completed."

Williams maintains that a party in power, as well as a country, must keep moving with the times. He says since Deng Xiaoping opened China to the outside world two decades ago, the country has had dramatic exchanges with the rest of the world.

More importantly, the image of the socialist country has altered as it deals with the outside world on level basis all thanks to the rapid economic development, he says.

Upbeat about the country's future development, he says that the CPC will be supported by the Chinese people so long as it continues to perform for the people.

But Williams also expresses his concerns over China's deteriorating environment, urging the government to pay more attention to sustainable development. "Lucky that the 2008 Olympic Games is in summer when there's no sandstorms," he says.

He also suggested action be taken to close gaps between the rich east and weak west.

The one-time Manchester United trialist hopes the Chinese soccer team's qualification for the World Cup will bring opportunities not only for soccer itself, but also for the economy.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2002)