Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao presided over a roundtable with foreign pharmaceutical firms on Wednesday.

Representatives from 12 companies, including AstraZeneca, Bayer, Merck, Novo Nordisk and Pfizer, attended the meeting, according to a statement released by China's Commerce Ministry.

Wang Wentao stated that China's high-standard opening up provides more development opportunities for foreign-invested enterprises, including those in the pharmaceutical industry.

The Chinese government is also continuing to further optimize the business environment and give higher priority to attracting foreign investment.

In the future, Chinese Ministry of Commerce will continue to hold regular meetings to timely respond to the concerns of enterprises, so as to facilitate the long-term and stable development of multinationals in China, Wang added.

The participating enterprises expressed confidence in China's economic prospects and their willingness to strengthen communication with Chinese government.

On Monday, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) also held a symposium with entrepreneurs, during which in-depth discussions were conducted and policy suggestions were heard.

Heads of five private enterprises, including construction gear maker Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., courier service provider YTO Express and AUX Group, attended the meeting.

While analyzing opportunities and challenges brought about by changes in the domestic and international environment, the five entrepreneurs also discussed the difficulties encountered in production and business operations, and offered targeted suggestions to optimize the legal and institutional mechanisms for private businesses.

The commission will listen to entrepreneurs' opinions, put forward pragmatic and effective policy measures, try its best to help enterprises solve difficulties, and foster a good environment for private enterprises to develop, according to Zheng Shanjie, head of the NDRC.

(With input from Xinhua; cover image via CFP)