China to Offer Foreign Companies "National Treatment"

 

 

 

 

 

I am very pleased to point to Premier Wen Jiabao's recent statement that "[China] will institutionalize arrangements to level the playing field for foreign companies operating in China, and to ensure national treatment [for] foreign companies in China," and that "In the next three years, [Premier Wen] hopes to increase interaction with foreign firms so that they will understand Chinese policies better and we can get their feedback."

 

Premier Wen made these remarks at a press conference approximately one week following the official release of our 2010 "White Paper", which was done at a press conference attended by approximately one hundred members of the domestic media. Two of the major suggestions that we offer in the "White Paper" (which is available for download free of charge here) are, in fact, national treatment and increasing transparency, specifically as it pertains to planning compliance with upcoming regulatory changes.

 

Such a seemingly direct response from the top levels of the government is unprecedented in my experience, and I believe that we should be both sufficiently appreciative and even proud that Premier Wen and the Central Government are, by all appearances, listening closely to what we have to say.

 

 

With best regards,