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               RULE 13a-14(a) CERTIFICATION FOR FORM 10-KSB (CEO)

                                                                    Exhibit 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Hanlin Chen, certify that:

      1. I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-KSB of China Automotive
Systems, Inc.;

      2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

      3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the small business
issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

      4. The small business issuer's other certifying officer(s) and I are
responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures
(as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the small
business issuer and have:

      (a)   designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
            disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
            supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
            small business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is
            made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
            during the period in which this report is being prepared;

      (b)   [Paragraph omitted pursuant to SEC Release 33-8238];

      (c)   evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
            disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our
            conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and
            procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based
            on such evaluation; and

      (d)   disclosed in this report any change in the small business issuer's
            internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
            small business issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small
            business issuer's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual
            report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to
            materially affect, the small business issuer's internal control over
            financial reporting; and

5.    The small business issuer's other certifying officers and I have
      disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
      financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the audit
      committee of the small business issuer's board of directors (or persons
      performing the equivalent function):

      (a)   all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design
            or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are
            reasonably likely to adversely affect the small business issuer's
            ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
            information; and

      (b)   any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
            other employees who have a significant role in the small business
            issuer's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 31, 2005

                                           /s/ Hanlin Chen
                                           -------------------------------------
                                           Hanlin Chen
                                           Chief Executive Officer, Chairman and
                                           President