Meanwhile, some 14,459 foreign-invested companies were established in China in the first seven months, up 17.9 percent year on year.</p> "The latest UNCTAD survey shows China is still the most appealing destination for investment in the world," Xi said.+ o. K* f: O* ^- V
"As China's open economy continues to develop, foreign investment in China will surely enjoy an even broader space and generate even higher profits," he added.2 r1 C! N9 C5 Y% T: o
However, to further boost foreign investment, China will continue to foster an open and transparent legal system, Xi said Tuesday.+ d- A, Y9 h# P4 }7 o! @: Z7 S
He said China has been working over the past 30 years to expand market access for foreign-invested businesses.
/ ~3 K: {9 j- Q9 d C China has optimized foreign investment structures four times through amendments to the "Catalogue for the Guidance of Foreign Investment Industries," he added." T2 D3 G; B/ f: Z
In April, the State Council, China's cabinet, introduced a series of innovative measures to optimize foreign investment structures.* x$ U7 P+ w/ A8 }% o4 x# d
The measures included encouraging more foreign investment in high-end manufacturing industries, high-tech industries, modern services industries, new energy, and energy-saving and environmental protection industries.
7 m$ _/ s' @7 v9 Z! z- v5 r Meanwhile, foreign firms have been encouraged to move their operations to the relatively poor central and western regions of China.$ X9 z% i" A: D) }( e1 [* _
Xi promised China would continue to build a market environment so Chinese and foreign-invested firms can compete fairly.9 |- s8 E5 B0 s6 {& k2 {2 }
"The Chinese government is approaching negotiations to join the 'WTO Government Procurement Agreement' with a responsible attitude," he said.+ F! r3 T+ o+ I
He said China will make government-funded procurement and construction projects open and transparent to both Chinese- and foreign-invested enterprises.
1 A; h( Y& O7 \. T+ l According to Xi, foreign-invested enterprises won 55.4 percent of all bids in the international tendering for 12,000 procurement programs of mechanical and electric products in 2009.: Q( u, Z/ R$ ^
Meanwhile, "Intellectual property rights (IPR) protection is high on the agenda of the Chinese government," he said, which was an issue of major concern for foreign companies.$ g1 V; ~+ U" f5 m E; P. t. F
China will improve systems, mechanisms, laws and regulations designed for IPR protection to offer more effective and efficient protection to investors and IPR owners.
' p+ C5 O. @( k1 e, h Xi said the country welcomes continued cooperation and supervision by foreign-invested enterprises on China's actions and progress in regulating IPR infringement.; d& u3 c/ y) U7 C7 G a6 E
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