Li says foreign enterprises will be given fair treatment

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) shakes hands with Maurice R. Greenberg during a meeting with overseas delegates attending the China Development Forum in Beijing, capital of China, March 21, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

All enterprises registered in China, domestic and foreign, will get fair treatment, Premier Li Keqiang said on Monday.

Li made the remarks while attending a seminar with more than 120 foreign participants at the annual China Development Forum.

"We will continue to expand the opening-up and welcome foreign investment to China," Li said, according to a news release issued on Tuesday.

"All companies registered in China — no matter if they are invested with local or foreign capital, no matter if they are of sole proprietorship or are joint ventures — will get equal treatment and an environment of fair competition," the premier said.

China will encourage more students to study abroad and learn advanced technology and management expertise and will welcome more foreign students to study in China, he added.

Li also said China will push forward supply-side economic structural reform, taking such measures as streamlining administrative procedures, cutting taxes on enterprises and encouraging innovation.

In the meantime, the government will pay extra attention to stable employment and increased income, the premier said.

The guests at the seminar were from world top 500 enterprises, academies, international organizations and media. They included Angel Gurria, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development; Peter Salovey, president of Yale University; Michael Spence, 2001 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences; and US television talk show host Charlie Rose.

Li answered questions that they raised at the meeting.

The China Development Forum, hosted by the State Council's Development Research Center, is a platform for business and academic leaders to interact with China's top decision-makers and economic planners.

Roland Krueger, president of Infiniti Motor Co Ltd, said that he was encouraged by Premier Li's words on equal treatment for foreign firms.

"We are committed to localization in China, our most important growth market, and are optimistic about the long-term, sustainable growth of China's economy, he said.

lixiaokun@chinadaily.com.cn