China's State Council has recently issued a statement outlining its guidelines regarding further optimizing the foreign investment environment and intensifying efforts to attract foreign investments.

The guidelines urged improving the overall balance between the domestic and international situations and foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized.

They also called for giving full play to the strengths of China's enormous market, making more efforts in attracting and utilizing foreign investment and doing it more effectively to make contributions to promoting high-standard opening up and building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Under the guidelines, 24 specific measures in six aspects have been put forward, according to the State Council.

These aspects include improving the quality of foreign capital utilization, guaranteeing the national treatment of foreign-invested enterprises, strengthening the protection of foreign investment, improving the facilitation of investment and operation, increasing fiscal and tax support, and improving ways to promote foreign investment.

The statement also said that all regions are encouraged to adopt supporting measures in light of local conditions to enhance policy synergy.

The Ministry of Commerce should strengthen guidance and coordination with relevant departments on policy promotion, implement the policies and measures quickly, create a more optimized investment environment for foreign investors, and effectively boost foreign investment confidence.

(Cover: The Lujiazui area in east China's Shanghai, August 9, 2023. /CFP)