A senior official of China's commerce ministry on Monday called for the establishment of international rules for cross-border investment.
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"There are no internationally prevailing rules for cross-border investment and that is one of the reasons why Chinese companies have encountered various barriers in outbound investment activities," said Chong Quan, deputy representative for China's international trade talks.
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He made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua on the sidelines of an annual national conference on commerce legislation.
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At present, international investment rules are substantially fragmented. China has so far signed bilateral investment treaties with 130 countries. Globally, a total of 3,164 international investment agreements had been signed by the end of 2011, according to figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.
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The United States and some European countries often have preconceptions when it comes to Chinese companies, especially China's State-owned enterprises. As a result, they are inclined to regard Chinese firms as a possible threat to their national security, Chong said.
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China's outbound direct investment in non-financial sectors surged 25.8 percent year-on-year to $58.17 billion during the first 10 months of 2012, according to figures released by the Ministry of Commerce last Tuesday.
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Ministry figures showed that the country's outbound investment grew by an average of 44.6 percent every year from 2002 to 2011.