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2009-09-02 | All chapters

European Chamber Calls for Further Opening up and Fundamental Reforms to Build a Sustainable Economic Recovery in China


 

 

 


 

Beijing, 2nd September 2009. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China today launches the 9th edition of its primary annual lobbying document, the European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010. This year's Position Paper indicates that further opening up and fundamental reforms are needed more than ever, not only to maintain the attractiveness of China as an investment destination for European businesses, but also for China to build a sustainable economic recovery. European businesses believe that the current economic crisis provides a prime opportunity for China to restructure the economy and build a transparent and fair business environment for all companies, both domestic and foreign.

According to the Position Paper 2009/2010, European businesses have observed a slowdown in the pace of reforms over the past 12 months, with some sectors reporting that the situation has actually gotten worse as industrial-policy interventions and foreign investment restrictions have increased.

This trend has heightened tensions with China’s trading partners at an unfortunate time, with China now an increasingly important market for European business and trade with the EU an increasingly influential driver of Chinese economic growth. The European Chamber believes that China can play a proactive role in easing trade tensions by arresting the regression in the reform process observed in many industries and adopting measures to build a level playing field for all businesses in China. Such moves would also serve to boost investment and domestic consumption, and in turn enable the Chinese economy to achieve its latent potential.

Joerg Wuttke, President of the European Chamber, commented, "Over the past year, the European Chamber has noted a gradual slowdown - and in some cases a partial reversal – in the economic opening up process. However, China’s experience in the last three decades has clearly proved that it is precisely in periods of crisis that increased opening and reform has bred the greatest success. We are convinced that this is an ideal moment for China to adopt a new and bolder cycle of reforms, a move that would ensure that China maximises its growth potential over the next five to ten years."

Drawing on the industry knowledge and expertise of the European Chamber's over 1,400 member companies, this year’s Position Paper presents Chinese and European policy-makers with more than 500 recommendations in 32 individual papers. In addition, this year’s edition features eight "Local Focus Papers" highlighting the recent developments and specific issues faced by European companies across China.

The European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010 will be presented to government and regulatory agencies in China, to the European Commission and EU member state governments, and to a wide range of business organisations and companies in China and Europe. Following the public launch of the Position Paper across China, members of the European Chamber will travel to Brussels to brief senior officials at the European Commission.

Key issues in the European Business in China Position Paper 2009/2010

Market Access
 - The archaic 50/50 Joint Venture requirement continues to hinder market development.
- Equal treatment for domestic and foreign companies is conspicuously absent in the public procurement process.
- In some sectors, technical regulations and certification procedures are being used to limit market access, and in certain cases to push foreign-invested companies out of certain markets altogether.
- A noticeable lack of reform and opening up remains in the service sector and hinders the development of strong domestic consumption.
- The limited market access and opportunities for foreign companies in energy-related sectors restricts China’s efforts to fight climate change.
Transparency in Legislation and Implementation
- The time granted publicly for comments on draft legislation is still well short of international best practices.
- Consultations on draft legislation are often limited to selected persons or groups and characterized by a disturbing lack of transparency.
- The enforcement of regulations on Chinese firms is often weaker than that on foreign firms.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
- The lack of adequate IPR protection and the leakage of confidential information at various stages of business development are a growing concern, discouraging European companies from further transferring know-how and technology to China or setting up research and development (R&D) centres in China.
EU-China Trade Relations
- China is important for the EU but the EU is more important for China.
- EU exports to China represent 0.7% of EU GDP; China’s exports to the EU represent 7% of China’s GDP.
- About 40% of technology transfers introduced to China through imports and investments originate in the EU.
- 20% of all Chinese exports in 2008 went to the EU (USA 17%, Japan 9%).
- A 1% decline in EU GDP growth would lead to a 11.5% decline in Chinese exports (just 9.8% for US).

To download this press release, please click here. To download the PowerPoint presentation on the press conference, please click here.

To download the Executive Summary of the Position Paper 2009/2010, please click here. To purchase a copy of the Position Paper 2009/2010, please click here.

Since the press conference in Beijing on 2nd September, the Position Paper 2009/2010 has been widely reported by both Chinese and foreign media such as:
Chinese media: CCTV-9, China Daily, Global Times, People's Daily Online, Shanghai Daily
Foreign media: AFP, AP, Bloomberg, Daily Telegraph, Reuters(1), Reuters (2), Wall Street Journal

For further information, please contact:
Grace Yao
Press Officer
European Union Chamber of Commerce in China
Phone: +86 (0)10 6462 2066 – 30
Mobile: +86 1367 1168 084
E-mail: gyao@euccc.com.cn

新闻稿

中国欧盟商会呼吁中国政府扩大开放、深化改革，以实现经济的可持续复苏

北京，2009年9月2日。中国欧盟商会于今日发布了商会的第九版年度白皮书《欧盟企业在中国建议书2009/2010》。今年的《建议书》指出，扩大开放和深化改革是当务之急，这不仅是为了维持中国对欧盟企业的投资吸引力，而且是中国经济实现可持续复苏的需要。在华欧盟企业相信，目前的经济危机为中国进行经济结构重组提供了绝佳机会，这同时也是中国为所有在华企业，无论内资还是外资，创建一个透明、公平的商业环境的最佳时刻。

在《欧盟企业在中国建议书2009/2010》中，广大欧盟企业反映，在过去的12 个月里，中国的改革开放显现出步伐放缓的趋势，而随着行业政策干预和外商投资限制的增多，在某些行业，实际情况更不容乐观。

当前形势下，中国市场对欧盟企业的重要性日益增加，中欧贸易对中国经济增长的影响力也日益增强，上述趋势却不适时地加剧了中国对外贸易压力。中国欧盟商会相信，通过采取措施遏制多个行业显现的改革放缓趋势，为所有企业创建公平竞争的商业环境，中国可以发挥积极作用缓解贸易压力。这些措施也将有助于刺激投资和国内消费的增长，并由此激发中国经济的潜力。

中国欧盟商会主席伍德克评论道：“在过去的一年中，中国欧盟商会注意到，中国经济开放的步伐正在逐渐放缓，在某些领域甚至有倒退的迹象。然而，中国在最近三十年中的经验清楚证明，恰恰是在危机时刻，加大改革开放力度能使中国取得举世瞩目的成就。我们坚信，当前正是中国采取新一轮大胆改革的理想时机，这将确保中国在接下来的五到十年中充分发挥其增长的潜力。”

今年的《建议书》总结了中国欧盟商会1400多家会员企业的行业知识和经验，通过32篇行业建议书，向中欧双方的决策者们提出了500多条建议。此外，该书还新增了八篇“分会聚焦”，着重介绍了中国各地欧盟企业所处商业环境的近期发展和具体问题。

《欧盟企业在中国建议书2009/2010》将被呈递给中国各级政府及监管机构、欧盟委员会、欧盟各成员国政府和中欧两地的广大商业组织及公司。在中国各地发布《建议书》之后，中国欧盟商会的会员将前往比利时布鲁塞尔，向欧盟委员会的高层官员介绍该书内容。

《欧盟企业在中国建议书2009/2010》中的主要内容

市场准入
 - 延用至今的50/50合资要求继续阻碍着市场的发展。
- 在公共采购过程中，外资企业和内资企业明显受到不对等的待遇。
- 在某些行业，技术法规和认证程序被用来限制市场准入，有时甚至将外资企业彻底排除在外。
- 在服务业，改革开放力度显著不够，抑制着国内消费的强劲增长。
- 在能源相关领域，外资企业仅享有有限的市场准入和商业机会，这制约了中国抵抗气候变化的努力行动。
  立法和执法透明度
- 对立法草案的公开意见征求期仍然不符合国际最佳惯例。
- 对立法草案的意见征求往往仅限于特定人群或团体，欠缺透明度。
- 中国在对内资企业执行法律法规时，其力度弱于对外资企业的执行。
  知识产权
- 知识产权保护的缺乏以及在业务拓展各阶段出现的机密信息外泄，仍然是令欧盟企业日益担忧的问题。这些打击着欧盟企业向中国进一步转让专有知识或在华建立研发中心的积极性。 中欧贸易关系
 - 对欧盟而言，中国很重要，但对中国而言，欧盟更重要。
- 欧盟对华出口占欧盟GDP的0.7%；中国对欧盟出口占中国GDP的7%
- 通过对华出口和投资而实现的技术转让约有40%源自欧盟
- 2008年，中国对欧盟出口占中国出口总额的20%（对美国出口占17%，对日本出口占9%）
- 欧盟GDP增长每下滑1% ，中国出口额便会下降11.5%（相对美国，仅下降9.8%）

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自９月３日新闻发布会以来，广大国内外媒体都对今年的建议书作了专题报道，比如:
中国媒体: CCTV-9, 中国日报, 环球时报（英文版）, 人民网, Shanghai Daily
外国媒体: 法新社, 美联社, 彭博新闻社, 每日邮报, 路透社(1), 路透社(2), 华尔街日报
 

了解更多信息，请联系：
姚辰
中国欧盟商会新闻官
电话：+86 (0)10 6462 2066 – 30
手机：+86 1367 1168 084
电邮：gyao@euccc.com.cn

 

   

 

For more information please contact

Xinhe Fan