Coronavirus: China moves to calm foreign investors after ‘unprecedented’ shock of Shanghai lockdown
- China must move quickly to rebuild confidence among foreign firms following Shanghai’s reopening, analysts say
- Chinese leaders have reiterated the country is open for business and they are taking steps to address multinationals’ concerns
China is stepping up efforts to placate an increasingly frustrated foreign business community, amid warnings that securing overseas investment is facing its biggest challenge in three decades following recent coronavirus lockdowns.
“Opening-up is China’s basic national policy. Stable foreign trade and investment are critical to the overall economy and employment,” Li told a meeting of the State Council, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
China’s vice-minister of commerce Wang Shouwen encouraged foreign companies to “report their problems directly” to the government. The ministry would focus on helping foreign companies resume production, he added.
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“The current pandemic has indeed brought a series of impacts and challenges to domestic and foreign-invested enterprises, which the Chinese government attaches great importance to,” he said on Wednesday.