MIIT pledges openness for US business

China's top industry regulator reaffirmed the country's commitment to supporting foreign-funded enterprises during a meeting with major US companies, including Apple Inc, in Beijing on Tuesday.

Li Lecheng, minister of industry and information technology, said his ministry will continue to offer strong service support for US firms operating in China. He encouraged US companies to deepen their presence, expand investment and actively participate in China's push for new industrialization.

Li made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation led by Rajesh Subramaniam, board chair of the US-China Business Council. Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in key sectors such as equipment manufacturing and smart technologies.

The delegation included representatives from leading US corporations such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Otis Worldwide and Apple, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Li expressed his hope that the USCBC would play a constructive role in promoting healthy industrial collaboration and economic exchanges between China and the United States.

"We encourage the USCBC to help foster favorable conditions for stronger China-US industrial cooperation and business ties," Li said. "By providing more competitive products and services, we can achieve mutual benefit and win-win outcomes."

Subramaniam said he appreciated the MIIT's concrete measures to facilitate the growth of foreign enterprises operating in the Chinese market and the council remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting the healthy and stable development of US-China economic and trade relations.

Zheng Yongnian, director of the School of Public Policy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), said in an interview with China Daily that, "The profound structural interdependence between the US and Chinese economies far exceeded initial expectations of some Western politicians, and Chinese and US companies can work together to pursue win-win cooperation."

Apple, for instance, said it will continue to invest in China and collaborate closely with local suppliers to drive innovative solutions, as the US-based iPhone maker deepens its foothold in the world's second-largest consumer market.

Isabel Ge Mahe, vice-president and managing director of Apple Greater China, said that over the past five-plus years, Apple has invested over $20 billion in China's smart manufacturing and green manufacturing sectors.

"We take great pride in having built such a robust supply chain system here, and we remain committed to deepening our roots in China through continued investment," she said. "Having witnessed the innovation capabilities of local suppliers, we will persist in pioneering collaboration alongside them."

In addition to smart manufacturing, two-thirds of Apple's production in China already operate on 100 percent clean energy. Over 90 local suppliers have committed to powering all Apple production with 100 percent clean energy by 2030, according to Apple.

Ban-seng Teh, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer of Seagate Technology, a US company providing data storage solutions, also expressed strong confidence in China's market potential, and emphasized the transformative role of artificial intelligence in driving storage demand.