Economy

Govt pledges support for FDI

By Ding Qingfen (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-08 11:11

BEIJING - China regards all foreign enterprises with operations in the nation as equal with their local counterparts, and the government will make all efforts to assist and support foreign businesses, Ma Xiuhong, vice-minister of commerce, said on Friday.

Ma made the remark during the Symposium for Multinational Companies 2010 taking place in Beijing.

The Chinese government launched guidelines on how to improve the environment for foreign direct investment in early April.

However, during Friday's forum, representatives of some multinational companies operating in the country expressed concern about the implementation of the rules and regulations mentioned in the guidelines.

They also raised a number of issues including intellectual property rights, equal treatment and preferential policies.

"It (the concern) is understandable, but I believe it will disappear gradually as we are all actively considering how to implement the relevant rules," said Ma.

Wang Junfeng, director of the Registration Office of Foreign-Invested Enterprises under the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, told the forum that the authorities will release a number of detailed and supportive proposals and measures tailored for foreign businesses on May 13, in a bid to assist them in strengthening their China-based operations.