Action not words needed on foreign access to China markets, says chamber
European Chamber of Commerce on mainland says its members are suffering from ‘promise fatigue’, with little done to tackle unfair trading conditions
The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has urged Beijing to act on its promises and take concrete steps to give fair market access to foreign firms operating on the mainland.
The measures were needed to avoid a backlash from China’s trade partners and to ensure that the mainland remained an attractive destination for foreign investment, the chamber said in an annual report.
Beijing’s has made repeated promises this year to reduce curbs on market access to foreign firms, but overseas companies continue to complain about the issue, with the amount of foreign direct investment in China declining.
The chamber listed the concerns of its member in 15 sectors, ranging from the food, car, health care, aviation and insurance industries. The worries included barriers to market access, economic protectionism and discriminatory treatment against foreign firms.
“It appears that in many areas China is no longer opening up, but selectively closing up,” the report said.
The report also listed concerns about forced technology transfer in China – such as in new energy vehicle production – in exchange for market access.