CCPIT study to aid investment

A businesswoman from the United States (left) attends an investment and trade fair in Xiamen, Fujian province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Research will cover law, political situation, trade and economic zones in Belt and Road markets

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade will complete overall research on laws and business regulations in 64 countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, to ensure Chinese outbound direct investment faces fewer risks, officials said on Thursday.

The research projects will focus on law studies and an assessment of the commercial environment and political situation, and disparities between economic zones and non-zone markets in each country or region along the initiative.

Feng Yaoxiang, CCPIT spokesman, said the research will give Chinese companies better knowledge of the markets they want to invest in.

Market demand, industrial structure, insurance policies, terrorism risk and the inflation rate will all be studied to help the firms avoid risks.

"The research project covers almost all the countries and regions along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road," said Feng.

CCPIT set up 102 trade information offices to provide early warning and legal services in 2016 in major export-oriented provinces and cities such as Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Liu Chao, deputy director-general of the council's department of legal affairs, said many countries along the two routes, such as Turkey, Poland and Malaysia, have better infrastructure and industrial foundations to support their growth. But for some others, developing infrastructure and services remains crucial.

The council will also offer legal advice, consultation services and practical measures to Chinese companies regarding Section 337 investigations to improve their ability in dealing with trade remedy investigations in 2017.

Launched by the US International Trade Commission, Section 337 investigations are related to claims over intellectual property rights.

China encountered 117 trade remedy investigations launched by 27 countries and regions with a total of $13.98 billion involved between January and Dec 21, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed.

Ministry of Commerce spokesman Shen Danyang on Thursday also urged the Office of the US Trade Representative to treat Chinese companies objectively as China has made significant progress in improving the protection of intellectual property in recent years.

His comments came after the USTR recently included four e-commerce websites and six manufacturers in China in its 2016 blacklist of "notorious marketplaces".

By Zhong Nan