Govt 'treats all equally'

Chinese companies have rejected the findings of a European Chamber of Commerce in China survey that points to them receiving more favorable treatment from the government than overseas businesses.

Some 43 percent of European company respondents in the Business Confidence report said Chinese businesses were given a helping hand by the government.

Shi Yongjun, a manager in the brand management center of NVC Lighting Technology Corp, a private company supplying lighting products based in Huizhou in Guangdong province, says the findings did not reflect reality.

"There really is no case that government policies favor local companies or foreign companies. The government treats them both the same," he says.

Shi says European companies entering the China market had a responsibility to fully comply with the laws and regulations.

"Foreign companies need to consider their social responsibilities more. Only those companies that act in accordance with the laws and regulations made by the Chinese government can sustainably develop in China and win the respect of consumers."

Zhang Chuanwei, chairman and chief executive officer of China Mingyang Wind Power Group, the NYSE-listed maker of wind turbines based in Zhongshan, also in Guangdong, says the China market has been very open to European and other foreign companies. "In the wind power sector, for instance, it was foreign companies who were the major players in the initial stages," he says.