China to provide MNCs with better development conditions

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-11-16 10:14

BEIJING - Chen Jian, Chinese vice Commerce Minister said on Saturday that the country would provide better development conditions for foreign multinational corporations (MNCs).

"China would ramp up efforts to create better legal protection, policy support, market environment and growth opportunities for them," Chen said at the 2nd International CEO Roundtable of Chinese and Foreign MNCs.

He said global investors' confidence would not recover in a short period of time amid the financial turmoil and predicted the combined foreign direct investment (FDI) globally could possibly decrease by 10 to 30 percent.

Figures revealed that FDI in China expanded by 35.06 percent in the first 10 months year on year to US$81.1 billion.

However, FDI in China stood at US$6.72 billion last month, down by 2.02 percent year on year. This was the first time that China saw negative FDI growth this year.

Chen added that although the current financial turmoil would brought some challenges to Chinese economy, China still boasts the potential of stable and relatively fast economic growth.