The business environment forms the prerequisite for the survival and development of enterprises. China will continue to optimize a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made this statement while delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the second China International Import Expo (CIIE) on Tuesday in Shanghai.

According to the World Bank's newly-released report "Doing Business 2020: Comparing Business Regulation in 190 Economies", China's ease of doing business ranking climbed to 31 this year from 46 last year. 

Last month, the State Council made public a regulation on optimizing the business environment in the latest step to unleash and develop productive forces and advance high-quality development.

China will accelerate reforms in critical links and key areas in response to the main bottlenecks constraining economic development and provide institutional guarantee for high-level openness and high-quality development with the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, according to Xi.

Xi noted China will further ease market access for foreign investment, continue to reduce items on its negative list, and improve systems for investment promotion and protection, and information reporting.

"China will create an environment that respects the value of knowledge, improve the legal system for intellectual property protection, vigorously strengthen relevant law enforcement, and strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights by the protection of civil and criminal justice", added Xi.

The second CIIE is being held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from Tuesday until Sunday.