The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China has launched its annual European Business in China Position Paper, which clarifies the obligations of companies operating in China.

This is the European Chamber's first Position Paper since China completed its five-year WTO accession period.

Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Chamber, commented, "With the continued strong growth of China's economy, the business environment remains attractive for European companies. But the investment climate is becoming more complex and challenging for foreign businesses operating in China. Despite real improvement in the legal and regulatory regime, companies in some sectors face new or increased requirements in areas such as technology transfer. Protecting intellectual property rights remains a major concern."

While welcoming new laws and regulations which clarify the rights and obligations of companies operating in China, the European Chamber notes that a more systematic approach to the implementation of new legislation is still needed. The Position Paper provides an up-to-date European industry analysis of the current business environment in China and offers more than 100 recommendations for improvements.

The European Chamber hopes that the publication, which is written and compiled by members of the Chamber's Working Groups, will assist China in its continuing efforts to improve the overall investment environment for both domestic and foreign companies, by increasing transparency, equality of treatment, and predictability.

Michael O'Sullivan, Secretary General of the European Chamber said, "We strongly support China's policies of continuing economic reform, development of domestic markets, improved energy efficiency, more effective environmental protection and action to reduce social inequality. We believe that European companies can and do contribute positively to all these goals. And so we encourage China to continue to open its markets and provide a level playing field for domestic and foreign companies."

The European Business in China Position Paper 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 organizations and companies in China and Europe. Following the public launch of the Position Paper in Beijing, members of the European Chamber will travel to Brussels to brief senior officials of the European Commission.

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