Photo: mofcom.gov.cn

China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) held a roundtable on Friday on policy interpretation and communication for foreign business associations, after the ministry set up a roundtable system with foreign enterprises to further improve the business environment.

During the roundtable, the ministry, together with the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country's cyberspace watchdog, interpreted the main concerns of foreign enterprises, including cross-border data flow, export controls and the Counter-Espionage Law. Interactive exchanges were also conducted.

Chen Chunjiang, an official with MOFCOM, said that the Chinese government has placed greater importance on attracting foreign investment and is committed to creating a fair, transparent and predictable business environment.

MOFCOM will continue to use the roundtable system for foreign enterprises and carry out regular exchanges with foreign firms and business associations, striving to improve the transparency and predictability of policies, so as to provide a better environment for foreign enterprises in China, Chen noted.

Representatives from the American Chamber of Commerce in China, the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China, the South Korea Chamber of Commerce in China and more than 30 enterprises attended the meeting.

Representatives of participating business associations and enterprises said that the roundtable focused on the concerns and demands of enterprises, and helped to interpret policies and regulations, which has strengthened two-way communication and exchanges. The enterprises also gained a clearer and more accurate understanding of the relevant policies and initiatives, strengthening their confidence in their long-term development in China.

MOFCOM has upgraded the establishment of the roundtable system with foreign firms on the basis of the regular exchange mechanism, expanding the communication channels between the Chinese government and foreign-invested enterprises, which helps respond to the enterprises' concerns in a timely manner, while addressing the difficulties and problems of these enterprises' operation in China.

Wang Wentao, the commerce minister, has hosted a roundtable for foreign-funded enterprises in the pharmaceutical industry and a roundtable for Japanese-funded enterprises to listen to opinions and respond to demands.

China will formulate comprehensive policies to further attract foreign investment, expand market access and enhance communication with foreign firms and chambers of commerce, in a bid to set up a higher-level opening-up system and attract global resources, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic planner, said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Global Times