Nation eager to open up local market
( 2003-10-14 07:48) (China Daily)
China is keen to free up trade and investment so it can reduce foreign trade
costs and optimize its investment environment, a senior commerce official said
yesterday.
Speaking during the trade and investment debate session at the ongoing Forum
for Economic and Trade Co-operation, Chen Jian, assistant to the minister of
commerce, said China is willing to contribute to the world's common prosperity
by engaging itself in economic globalization and the free flow of trade and
investment.
He told officials, non-governmental organizations and business people from
seven Portuguese-speaking countries attending the forum that China has been
seriously fulfilling its World Trade Organization commitment to open up its
domestic market and gradually lower the average tariff.
"China has been actively involved in a broader and higher level of
multilateral trade, investment and diversified modes of international economic
and technological co-operation,'' he said.
Chen pointed out that the present trade volume between China and
Portuguese-speaking countries, which stood at about US$6.1 billion in 2002, is
not equal to the real capacity of the relationship.
China is willing to expand the bilateral trade and investment through a
concerted effort to smooth out the barriers in trade and the flow of logistics,
personnel and technology with the seven countries of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde,
Guinea Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and East Timor, he said.
Such inter-governmental agreement will lead to the creation of a better legal
environment for trade and investment and the introduction of mutually beneficial
projects, Chen added.
|
