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China has repeatedly pledged to slacken restrictions on its
manufacturing and service sectors as it tries to improve
inefficient state-owned firms by adopting market-friendly
policies to stave off slowing growth.
The world's second-largest economy, which grew 7 percent in the
first half from a year earlier, is headed for its slowest
economic expansion in 25 years in 2015.
"China should make unswerving efforts to attract foreign
investment and foreign technology, and improve the mechanism for
the country's opening up," the official Xinhua news agency cited
Xi as saying at a meeting of the Central Leading Group for
Deepening Overall Reform.
"Implementing a market access negative list system has great
significance in releasing the decisive role of the market in
allocating resources and further developing the role of
government, and in establishing a commercial environment based
on rule of law and building a new open-style economic system,"
Xinhua said, citing a statement from the reform group.
"The country will gain experience and gradually improve the list
through pilot programs," the news agency said, citing the
statement.
Business groups have expressed only tepid approval of such
piecemeal pilot programs, arguing that many sectors currently
off limits to foreign investors should be opened up nationwide
instead of in select regions or zones.
Regulators issued a negative list of prohibited and restricted
industries for foreign investors in March, though business
lobbies have said it is too broad.
The list, issued jointly by the National Development and Reform
Commission and the Commerce Ministry left prohibitions on
foreign investment in 36 sectors, while 38 sectors were
restricted.
China's government plans to reform state-owned enterprises but
has been reluctant to cede too much control over industries it
deems central to national interests.
(Reporting by Michael Martina)
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