Chinese Premier Li Qiang makes an inspection tour to Shanghai on July 26 and 27. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday stressed promoting deeper and wider opening-up and attracting more foreign businesses to cultivate in the Chinese market during an inspection tour to Shanghai, where he visited local branches of some foreign companies.

The remarks underscored China's unwavering commitment to further open up its market to foreign businesses, making stabilizing foreign capital a top priority in economic work, even as some countries are pushing for so-called decoupling or de-risking. The remarks also come as Chinese officials have in recent months met with extensively with foreign executives.

During the inspection tour, which focuses on the construction of pilot free trade zones (FTZs), Li urged to vigorously implement the strategy of upgrading the pilot free trade zone, and actively carry out new explorations of high-level opening-up, according to China Media Group.

While visiting Shanghai's Lingang new area, which is known for playing host to many major foreign businesses such as US electric carmaker Tesla, the Chinese premier stressed actively promoting deeper and wider opening-up and striving for greater progress in areas such as creating an open functional platform, industrial ecology, and business environment.

In Lingang, Li visited Lenze Drive Systems (Shanghai) Co, a subsidiary of German firm Lenze specializing in automation, and Volvo Construction Equipment (China) Co, and learned in detail about the firms' progress in promoting intelligent manufacturing and remanufacturing.

The Chinese premier said that foreign enterprises and China's development have helped each other succeed, the story of foreign businesses growing in China must be told well, and more foreign companies should be attracted to develop in the Chinese market.

During his tour, Li also presided over a symposium, during which he heard reports from officials from the Ministry of Commerce, Shanghai, Beijing, East China's Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Central China's Henan and Hubei, South China's Guangdong and Northwest China's Shaanxi.

At the symposium, Li stressed the important role pilot FTZs play in China's reform and opening-up, pointing out that FTZs will continue to shoulder a major mission going forward. He called for vigorously implementing the strategy of upgrading FTZs at a new starting point and promoting reform and development through high-level opening-up.

Global Times