China’s head of the Foreign Investment Department at their Ministry of Commerce, Liu Yajun, has hit out at foreign companies who he claims need to “stop complaining.”
In recent times a glut of foreign businesses have claimed that the Chinese government deliberately make life difficult for the foreign companies that operate in China, with Jeffrey Immelt, the chief executive of General Electric, recently saying that he was “not sure they want any of us to be successful.”
However, speaking at a European business conference in Shanghai, Mr Liu refuted such claims: “It is okay to complain from time to time, but you have to be practical and realistic. Some of the comments about China being closed to foreign business are exaggerated and hyperbolic.”
Mr Liu backed up his thoughts by citing the fact foreign investment in China is going from strength to strength, with projections showing that $100bn (£64bn) of foreign money is expected to go into China by the end of 2010, a new record.
Mr Liu added: “If the environment is not good, why have so many people come to China? It is not logical. You are smart people. You do not want to waste your money. You put money here because you feel comfortable here. We want to listen to your ideas but we do not want you to exaggerate a small issue. If China closes its doors to the world, its economy would collapse. We will open our doors wider and wider.”