中国加入世贸组织后外商投资的新机遇

中国加入世贸组织后外商投资的新机遇
外经贸部副部长孙振宇在"2001·中国西部论坛"上的演讲（西安，2001年9月5日）

各位嘉宾，女士们、先生们：
在美丽的金秋时节，我很高兴能在既古老神秘又充满现代活力的古都西安，迎来参加"2001·中国西部论坛"的各位嘉宾。借此机会，我愿意就加入世贸组织后外商投资中国西部的新机遇，向各位嘉宾作一简要介绍，希望进一步促进外商积极参与中国西部大开发，推动广大的西部地区加快经济和社会发展的进程。
女士们、先生们:
中国恢复关贸总协定缔约国地位和加入世贸组织已经走过了15年历程。15年的沧桑变化，已经深深印在中国人的记忆之中，并且也为每一位关心和支持中国现代化事业的外国朋友所见证。值得欣慰的是，近年来，在有关各方的共同努力下，中国加入世贸组织的进程明显加快。
今年5月和6月，中国先后同美国、欧盟就中国加入世贸组织多边谈判的遗留问题进行磋商，并达成了全面共识。7月初和7月中旬，世贸组织第16次和第17次中国工作组会议，结束了中国加入世贸组织的实质性谈判，完成了中国加入世贸组织的议定书、中国工作组报告书等多边法律文件的起草工作。我相信，9月召开的第18次中国工作组会议，将最终通过中国加入世贸组织的所有法律文件，并将这些法律文件提交世贸组织总理事会审议，从而结束中国工作组的工作。如无特别情况，今年11月在卡塔尔多哈举行的世贸组织第四次部长级会议，将正式通过决议，接纳中国成为世贸组织正式成员。经过15年的艰辛努力，中国加入世贸组织即将成为现实。
女士们、先生们：
吸收外商直接投资，是中国对外开放基本国策的重要组成部分。二十多年来，随着改革开放逐步深化，中国吸收外资的规模和质量不断提高。截至2001年7月底，中国累计批准设立的外商投资企业37.8万家，合同外资金额7170.1亿美元，实际使用外资金额3728.3亿美元。
今年以来，外商来华直接投资继续保持良好势头。1-7月，共批准设立外商投资企业1.4万家，比去年同期增长18.2%；合同外资金额402.9亿美元，增长45.8%；实际使用外资金额242.1亿美元，增长21.7%。
在中国东部地区吸收外资迅速增长的同时，西部地区吸收外资也取得了明显进展。截至2001年6月底，西部地区吸收外商直接投资的项目数、合同外资金额和实际使用外资金额，在全国总量中所占比重分别为7.3%、6%和5.3%。今年1-6月，西部地区新设立外商投资企业742家，合同外资19.1亿美元，实际使用外资7.1亿美元。
加入世贸组织，是中国社会主义市场经济发展的内在要求，也顺应了世界经济发展

的客观趋势，必将为世界各国和地区同中国开展经济贸易合作提供前所未有的机遇。加入世贸组织后，中国将有步骤地开放银行、保险、电信、外贸、内贸、旅游等服务领域，制定统一、规范、透明的投资准入政策，抓紧制定和完善相关涉外法律法规，提高涉外经济工作依法行政水平，建立健全符合国际通行规则和我国国情的对外经济贸易体制。外商来中国投资，参与西部大开发，正面临着新的发展机遇。
中国西部经济将继续保持快速增长，为外商投资西部创造更多的投资机会。经过二十多年的快速发展，西部地区已奠定了一定的物质技术基础，社会保持稳定，市场经济体制正在逐步建立和完善之中，为西部经济持续快速增长创造了有利的市场环境。中国政府坚持实行以扩大内需为主的发展方针，并把扩大内需与调整经济结构、推动科技进步、促进对外开放结合起来。随着西部大开发战略的稳步推进，西部地区的资源优势、经济优势将得到充分发挥，经济增长的质量和水平将进一步提高。
国家鼓励外商投资西部的政策已经并将继续发挥积极作用，为外商投资西部提供了有力的政策支持。为鼓励外商加大向中西部地区投资的力度，进一步促进西部地区经济发展，自1999年以来，国家已经制定了一系列鼓励外商向中西部地区投资的优惠政策，主要涉及扩大中西部地区对外开放领域、拓宽投资方式、放宽对外商投资的限制、对在鼓励投资的领域设立的外商投资企业给予更加优惠的税收待遇、加大对投资项目的金融支持、设立国家级经济技术开发区以营造优良的投资环境等六个方面。国务院《关于实施西部大开发若干政策措施的通知》发布后，鼓励外商投资西部地区的各项政策措施进一步配套和完善。随着中国加入世贸组织，中国政府还将在以下九个方面采取积极措施，吸引更多的外商投资西部地区。
1．及时修订《中西部地区利用外资优势产业目录》，有效发挥西部地区的资源优势和经济优势，突出发展特色经济。
2．完善《外商投资企业境内投资的暂行规定》，创造条件，促进沿海的外商投资企业到西部地区再投资，实现产业的梯度转移。
3．进一步扩大西部地区吸收外商投资的领域，鼓励外商投资农业、林业、水利、交通、能源、市政公用、环保等基础领域及基础设施建设，以及矿产、旅游等资源开发。
4．研究鼓励外商投资西电东送、西气东输、南水北调、青藏铁路等国家骨干工程的政策，加快西部地区基础设施建设步伐。
5．研究制定外商收购、兼并国有企业，利用BOT、TOT等方式进行投资，以及外商投资企业在境内外上市发

行股票等各项政策措施。
6．鼓励外商投资企业引进、开发先进技术，进行技术创新，积极引导外商特别是跨国公司投资高新技术产业和建立研究开发机构，促进外商投资兴办资金技术密集型项目和设立更多的先进技术型项目。
7．将银行、保险、商业零售、外贸、电信、旅行社、建筑及与其相关的服务、中外合作会计师事务所、律师事务所等领域的对外开放试点扩大到符合条件的中西部地区中心城市，并适当放宽在这些领域设立外商投资企业的条件。
8．鼓励中小企业积极参与国际合作，促进外商投资于机电产品、零部件产业和原材料等配套和出口创汇项目。
9．坚持"以工业项目为主，吸收外资为主，出口为主，致力于高新技术"的发展方针，继续办好西部地区国家级经济技术开发区，有效发挥示范、带动、辐射和促进作用。
中国政府将着力改善投资环境，进一步增强对外商投资的吸引力。目前，正在把改善投资环境的工作重点放在致力于完善投资的软环境上。
一是创造完备的法律环境。按照中国加入世贸组织的承诺，加快修改、制定有关吸收外资的法律法规，完善涉外经济法律体系；加大对知识产权的保护力度，维护外商投资企业的合法权益；建立统一规范公开的外商投资准入制度，削减对外商投资准入审批事项。
二是营造统一透明、可预见的政策环境。改善和加强对外商投资企业的管理和服务，加快建立健全社会信用制度，改善外商投资企业的融资环境；利用外商投资企业投诉中心，做好对外国投资者和外商投资企业投诉的受理工作，依法保护企业合法权益。
三是建立廉洁高效、公正规范的行政环境。适应市场经济发展的要求，加快转变政府职能，树立依法行政意识，提高行政效率。规范中介机构的行为，引导中介机构更好地为外商投资企业服务。
四是维护和完善公平开放的市场环境。结合当前中国政府正在开展的整顿和规范市场经济秩序工作，坚决制止对外商投资企业的乱收费、乱检查、乱摊派和乱罚款等，打破地方保护和行业垄断，为外商投资企业创造统一开放、公平竞争的市场环境。
女士们，先生们：中国改革开放以来，国民经济年均增长速度达到9.7%。中国已经发展成为一个全球极富吸引力的、现实的大市场。世界各国和地区不少有远见卓识的企业家，都将目光投向了中国，投向了西部，并从投资活动中获得了丰厚的回报。我相信，中国加入世贸组织后，外商参与中国西部开发的机会将越来越多，自身发展的空间也越来越大，同时西部经济的潜力将得到更大的释放。西部大开发一定能成为沟通世界各国和地

区的企业家与中国市场的一座桥梁，促进中国和世界经济共同发展、共同繁荣。
谢谢大家。

WTO Membership: New Opportunities for Foreign Investment
Speech at China West Forum 2001
SUN Zhenyu,
Vice Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
(Xi'an, September 5th， 2001)
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the golden autumn, I am very happy to welcome the distinguished guests to China West Forum 2001 in the ancient capital Xi'an, an age-old and mysterious city full of dynamism of the modern era. Taking this opportunity, I would like to brief you on the new opportunities for foreign investment in the west after China joins the WTO. I hope that foreign businesspeople could take part in the development of western regions more actively to advance the economic and social development of the vast western areas.
Ladies and gentlemen,
China has gone through a journey of 15 years in order to first resume the contracting party status in GATT and later to enter the WTO. The twists and turns over the past 15 years have been deeply embedded in the minds of the Chinese people and witnessed by each and every foreign friend who cares for and supports China's cause of modernization. However, it is a comfort to see that China's accession to the WTO has been noticeably accelerated with the concerted efforts of various relevant parties over recent years.
In May and June this year, China held consultations and reached comprehensive consensus with US and EU on the outstanding issues in the multilateral negotiation of China's WTO accession. In early and mid July, the WTO held the 16th and 17th sessions of the China Working Party Meeting, at which the substantive negotiation on China's WTO entry was concluded with the drafting of the Protocol, Working Party Report and other multilateral legal documents regarding China's WTO accession completed. I believe at the 18th Working Party Meeting to be convened in September, all the legal documents on China's accession will be eventually adopted and submitted to the WTO General Council for review, thus wrapping up the historic mission of the WTO Working Party on China. Hard endeavor of 15 years is about to turn China's entry to the WTO into a reality.
Ladies and gentlemen,
FDI absorption constitutes an important component of China's basic state policy of reform and opening up. As the reform and opening up going into depth over the past two decades and more, China has been constantly improving its FDI utilization in terms of scale and quality. As of the end of July 2001, China had cumulatively approved 378,000 foreign funded enterprises with a contractual value of USD 717.01 billion, of which USD 372.83 billion had been actually paid in.
China has maintained a good momentum in its FDI attraction since this year.
January through July, 14,000 foreign-invested enterprises were approved to establish, 18.2% higher than the corresponding period of last year

, the contractual value of foreign investment grew by 45.8% to USD 40.29 billion and the actually utilized value climbed by 21.7% to USD 24.21 billion.
While the FDI absorption of the eastern areas is growing at a rapid speed, the western regions have also made obvious headway in its FDI attraction.
Up to the end of June 2001, the project number, contractual value and actually utilized value of FDI in the west accounted for 7.3%, 6% and 5.3% of the national total. In the first 6 months of this year, 742 new foreign invested enterprises were set up in the western regions with the contractual value amounting to USD 1.91 billion and actually utilized value, USD 710 million.
Joining the WTO is an inherent requirement of China's development of its socialist market economy which also complies with the objective trend of the world economic progress, and it will bring about unprecedented opportunities to the economic and trade cooperation between China and various countries and regions in the world. After becoming a member of the WTO, China will open service areas such as banking, insurance, telecommunication, foreign trade, domestic trade, tourism step by step, formulate uniform, standard and transparent investment access policy, intensify efforts to enact and perfect relevant foreign related laws and regulations, improve the level of administration according to law in foreign related economic work, establish and perfect the foreign economic and trade regime consistent with the international prevailing rules and actual situation in China. Foreign business people are facing new development opportunities in making investment in China and participating in the development of western regions.
The continuous rapid economic growth in the west will generate more investment opportunities for foreign investment in the area. The rapid development over the past 20 years and more has laid down certain material and technological foundation in the west. This, coupled with social stability and gradual shaping and improvement of the market economic system, has created a favorable market environment for the sustained and fast economic progress in the western regions. The Chinese government adheres to the guiding principle of development focusing on the expansion of domestic demand and it has combined the expansion of domestic demand, economic restructuring, advancement of science and technology and promotion of opening up. As the Strategy of Developing the Western Regions is steadily pushed forward, the resource and economic advantages of the west will be brought into full play thus further raising the quality and level of its economic growth.
The country's incentives for foreign investment in the western regions have already played and will continue to play a positive role by giving forceful policy support to foreign investment in the area. In order to encourage foreign businesspeople to intensify investment in the central and western regions of China and further a

ccelerate the economic development of the area, since 1999, the country has unveiled a series of preferential policies for foreign investment in central and western China, including the enlargement of open up areas, diversification of investment modes, relaxation of investment restrictions, more preferential taxation policy for foreign invested enterprises in encouraged fields, intensification of financial support to investment projects and the cultivation of a sound investment environment by establishing economic and technological development zones at national level. Since the Circular of the State Council on Several Policy Measures concerning the Implementation of the Development of the Western Regions was issued, various policy measures to encourage foreign investment in the west have been further complemented and improved. With China's upcoming accession to the WTO, the Chinese government will adopt positive measures in the following nine aspects to attract more foreign investment to the western regions.
1. To amend in time the Industrial Catalogue for Foreign Investment in the Central and Western Regions to effectively play out the resource and economic advantages of the west, underlying economic development with characteristics.
2. To improve the Provisional Regulations on Investment By Foreign-funded Enterprises in China to create conditions for the reinvestment in the west by foreign invested enterprises along the coast and realize the grads transfer of industries.
3. To further expand areas for foreign investment in the west and encourage foreign investment in agriculture, forestry, water conservancy, communications,energy, municipal utility, environmental protection and other basic fields as well as infrastructure construction and mineral, tourist and the like resource development.
4. To study incentives for foreign investment in the country's key projects such as electricity and gas transmission from the west to the east, water diversion from the south to the north and Qinghai-Tibet Railway in a bid to pace up infrastructure construction of the western regions.
5. To study and formulate various policy measures governing merger and acquisition of state-owned enterprises by foreign investors, investment in the form of BOT and TOT and overseas public offering of foreign funded enterprises in China.
6. To encourage foreign invested enterprises to introduce and develop advanced technology and conduct technological innovation. Positive guidance will be offered to foreign businesses especially transnational corporations to invest in high and new technological industry, capital- and technology-intensive industries, set up R&D institutions and build more projects with state-of-the-art technology.
7. To expand the trial opening up of banking, insurance, commercial retail,foreign trade, telecommunication, tourist agency, construction and its related services, Sino-foreign joint venture accounting firms and law firms to qualified central ci

ties in the middle and western regions with conditions for the establishment of foreign invested enterprises in those fields properly relaxed.
8. to encourage small- and medium-sized enterprises to take an active part in the international cooperation and promote foreign businesspeople to invest in electromechanical products, spare parts industry, raw material and other supporting and export-oriented foreign exchange generating projects.
9. To stick to the development guidelines focusing on industrial projects, FDI absorption and export, with a special emphasis on high and new technology development. To continue to run economic and technological development zones at national level successfully, giving full play to their role as demonstration projects and driving force, so as to bring along and promote the development of other areas.
The Chinese government will make elaborate efforts to improve the investment climate to make the environment more attractive to foreign investors. At present, the focus is on perfecting the soft environment for investment.
First, we'll create a complete and well-established legal environment.According to its commitment to join the WTO, China is quickening the amendments to and formulation of relevant laws and regulations to attract FDI and perfecting its foreign related economic legal system. It is strengthening protection of intellectual property rights and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of foreign invested enterprises. It is setting up a uniform, standard and open foreign investment access system and reducing items subject to examination and approval.
Second, we'll cultivate a uniform, transparent and predictable policy environment.China is improving and strengthening management of and service to foreign funded enterprises, pacing up the establishment and perfection of social credit system and improving the financing environment for foreign invested enterprises. China is making use of the complaint centers of foreign invested enterprises to well accept and hear cases and to protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign funded enterprises according to law.
Third, we'll establish a clean, highly effective, fair and standard administrative environment. Governmental functions are being transformed at a higher speed with the sense of administration according to law built up and administrative efficiency raised. Conducts of intermediary institutions are being standardized to better serve foreign invested enterprises.
Fourth, we'll maintain and improve a fair and open market environment.Random fees and fines, unauthorized inspections and compulsory donations are firmly prohibited in pace with the on-going rectification and standardization of market economic order conducted by the Chinese government. Regional protection and industrial monopoly are being broken down, so as to create a uniform and open market environment for fair competition of foreign funded enterprises.
Ladies and gentlemen

,
China has attained an annual average growth rate of 9.7% for its national economy since the inception of reform and open up policy. China has evolved to an extremely attractive and realistic big market in the global context.Many farsighted businesspeople have paid their attention to China and to the western regions and got generous profits in return of their investment activities. I believe that more opportunities will be created for foreign businesspeople to participate in the development of western China following our WTO accession and greater space for development of themselves. In the meantime, the economic potential of the western regions could be tapped to a deeper degree. The development of the western regions will surely serve as a bridge connecting businesspeople all over the world and the Chinese market, and promote China and the world to achieve common economic development and prosperity.
Thank you all.