On May 20, Guangzhou hosted a roundtable meeting with key foreign-invested enterprises to facilitate communication between the government and businesses, gather their opinions and suggestions, and promote the high-quality development of foreign-invested enterprises in Guangzhou.
At the meeting, representatives from foreign-invested enterprises and institutions—including GAC Toyota, Procter & Gamble (China), Linde (China), New World China, Amway (China) Daily Necessities, Mars Wrigley Confectionery (China), and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China—shared updates on their operations in Guangzhou. They offered suggestions on reducing costs, supporting technological innovation, promoting supply-demand alignment, and strengthening the protection of rights and interests. Guo Yonghang, secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee, requested relevant departments and districts to enhance communication and follow up on these issues. He emphasized the need to turn the feedback into concrete measures to support enterprise development.
Guo said that Guangzhou will make dedicated efforts to foster a more open investment environment. It will fully implement the pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list management system for foreign investment and thoroughly take measures such as removing all market access restrictions for foreign investors in the manufacturing sector and further expanding access for foreign investors in the services sector. These efforts will better support foreign-invested enterprises in investing and operating in Guangzhou. Guangzhou will also focus on creating a more equitable market environment. It will comprehensively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, ensuring that foreign-invested enterprises equally enjoy the various policies supporting enterprise development, in accordance with the law. It will further streamline access to production factors and facilitate market expansion for enterprises. In addition, Guangzhou will endeavor to build a more dynamic innovation environment. It will implement the Catalogue of Industries Encouraging Foreign Investment, encourage foreign investors to expand investment in advanced manufacturing, modern services, and other fields, strengthen the role of foreign investment in fostering new quality productive forces, and fully support enterprises in digital and intelligent transformation as well as integrated development. Moreover, Guangzhou will further enhance its administrative environment. It will improve mechanisms for government-enterprise communication, complaint resolution for foreign-invested enterprises, and "white list" services for key foreign-invested enterprises. It will implement inclusive and prudent supervision, protect the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises in accordance with the law, and create a business environment friendly to industries, enterprises, and entrepreneurs.
Sun Zhiyang, Mayor of Guangzhou, stated that Guangzhou will leverage its advantages in various aspects such as production, living and ecological development, and harness the synergistic effects of various policies, including the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the development and opening-up of Nansha District, as well as the establishment of an international consumption center. Guangzhou will steadily expand institutional opening-up, continuously optimize the business environment, reduce institutional transaction costs, and strongly support foreign-invested enterprises in deeply participating in the construction of Guangzhou's "12218" modern industrial system.