Vice President Charlotte Roule Interviewed by Bloomberg, Calls for China to Reform Go back »

2019-05-21 | All chapters

Charlotte Roule, vice president of the European Chamber, was interviewed by Bloomberg at the Business Confidence Survey launch in Beijing on 20^th May. The interview covered a range of topics including the impact of US tariffs, market access in China, the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, and the Foreign Investment Law. It also covered the main message of the survey, which is a call for China to reform and better enforce of regulations.

VP Roule mentioned that a quarter of our members reported being affected by the tariffs. Respondents also felt that trade tensions are here to stay. She stated that China has become a mature economy, so in order for our members to operate in China in the long run, the government needs to carry out reform now to ensure a reliable, predictable, and fair and transparent business environment.

Regarding market access, VP Roule said there have been some improvements, especially with the reduction of the foreign investment negative list last year. However, she said in China there are also the free trade zone negative list and market access negative list, which also impose restrictions. Only 9 per cent of respondents to the survey said the opening last year was significant. The predominance of state-owned enterprises in China means there’s still way to go to realise competitive neutrality.

VP Roule also mentioned that one important element reported by our members is the implementation and enforcement of regulations. Therefore, what the European Chamber asks for is clarification, reliability, transparency and fairness.