On April 23, Ling Ji, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative of International Trade Negotiation, presided over a roundtable meeting of foreign-funded enterprises to exchange with enterprises on the impact of the US imposition of tariffs on the investment and operation of foreign-funded enterprises in China.

Ling Ji said that when meeting with international business representatives on March 28, President Xi Jinping pointed out that foreign-funded enterprises, especially multinational corporations, play an important role in maintaining the world economic order and also bear important responsibilities. Recently, the unilateralism and bullying behavior of the United States in abuse of tariffs have caused strong dissatisfaction among the international community, seriously undermining the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order, and impacting the stability of global production and supply chains. Enterprises from all countries, including China, are victims. In order to safeguard its own legitimate interests and international fairness and justice, China firmly counters it. We hope that foreign-funded enterprises will make rational voices, strengthen their confidence, overcome difficulties, turn crises into opportunities, and jointly overcome unilateralism and protectionism. China will continue to expand high-level opening up to the outside world, effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-funded enterprises, and be more proactive in solving problems for foreign-funded enterprises in China, strive to ensure the stability and smooth operation of the production and supply chain, and promote the resolution of the problems and demands of foreign-funded enterprises.

Representatives of the companies attending the meeting said that President Xi Jinping’s important speech on March 28 brought confidence and courage to overcome difficulties to foreign-funded enterprises. Faced with the severe and complex external environment, the Chinese government has always attached great importance to solving the problems encountered by foreign-invested enterprises in China and insisted on expanding opening up to the outside world. China's foreign investment policies are sustainable, stable and predictable. It is willing to continue to invest in China, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and jointly respond to challenges.

The meeting was hosted by the China Association of Foreign Investment Enterprises, and more than 80 foreign-invested enterprises and representatives of foreign chambers of commerce in China attended the meeting. The heads of relevant departments and bureaus of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Food and Drug Administration attended the meeting and responded to the problems and demands reported by the enterprises.