by Xinhua writer Ma Qian
BEIJING, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- China has gone the extra mile in its efforts to liberalize the services sector and open up its market to foreign companies, said an Italian trade official.
"We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the efforts undertaken by the Chinese government to create a level playing field for everybody to access the services sector in this country," Gianpaolo Bruno, trade commissioner of the Beijing Office of the Italian Trade Commission, told Xinhua on Saturday at the ongoing 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS).
China is further opening up to global businesses, particularly in the services sector, reckoned Bruno, suggesting that is the main message China wants to deliver through this year's CIFTIS.
"We are really acting very positively, because we're honored to present the strength of the Italian economy in the service sector," Bruno said.
Italy would also like to convey its strong commitment to promoting "the already brilliant cooperation we have with Chinese partners and to discuss concrete projects for mutual benefit," he added.
The Italian official highlighted a series of policy measures that China has carried out, from intellectual property rights (IPR) protection to foreign direct investment (FDI) incentives.
In particular, he talked of China's ramped-up efforts to grant foreign companies equal access to participate in government procurement activities. "They are also very good signals that we really appreciate. We hope that the Italian business community could take advantage of these opportunities," he added.
China's State Council released in August a new set of opinions on boosting FDI. The document contains 24 suggestions for attracting foreign investments, ranging from improving IPR protection to facilitating cross-border data flows.
Authorities should guarantee that foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) can participate in government procurement in accordance with the law, and support FIEs in innovating and developing world-leading products through measures such as first-order purchases, said the document.
In regard to e-commerce, Bruno noted that Italy has stepped up efforts to improve its business environment and further digitalize its economy to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
"We are working with Chinese platforms to explore more possibilities for Italian companies to sell their products on the Business-to-Customer basis, given the fact that Chinese consumers are looking for more foreign goods," he said. "So there is a win-win situation."
The Italian official also noticed China's ongoing efforts to transform the manufacturing industry "to reap the benefits of a high-valued segment of the global value chain."
"We are following very carefully this process, because I think there are many opportunities to cooperate with China in the high-tech sector, as China is working to stoke (up) its long-term economic development process," he continued.
"So we're very happy that China is working very strongly towards that end, and we are available to cooperate with (Chinese) manufacturing companies, high-tech companies and consulting companies in order to help China make this possible," Bruno said. ■
