BEIJING: The Chinese government has always welcomed and supported other countries and telecommunications companies in laying international submarine cables in waters under China’s jurisdiction, Mao Ning, spokesperson of Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday, a response after foreign media reported that Chinese authorities have been slow to grant permits allowing the cable to traverse the South China Sea.
Mao said China will continue to work with the international community to strengthen bilateral regional and international dialogue and cooperation, and actively promote the construction of global information infrastructure such as submarine cables.
The remarks came after the Financial Times claimed earlier that long approval delays and stricter Chinese requirements have pushed companies to design routes that avoid the South China Sea. Nikkei published a similar report.
In this regard, Mao said that China has continued to promote the construction of global information infrastructure including submarine cables for a long time, and China fully implements the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as submarine cables are an important infrastructure supporting global data exchanges, carrying about 99 percent of the world’s intercontinental communication traffic, and are the most important information carrier for modern international communications.
China also promulgated relevant laws, regulations and rules such as the Sea Areas Administration Law, the Marine Environment Protection Law, the Provisions Governing the Laying of Submarine Cables and Pipelines and the Provisions Governing the Protection of Submarine Cables and Pipelines, clarifying that all countries have the legal rights to lay submarine cables in waters under China’s jurisdiction and corresponding obligations, which provides a legal guarantee for international submarine cables to transfer through waters under Chinese jurisdiction.
“The Chinese government has always taken a welcoming attitude and supported other countries and telecommunications companies in laying international submarine cables in waters under China’s jurisdiction, and China also actively encourages Chinese companies to cooperate with foreign companies to lay international submarine cables,” Mao said.
China will continue to work with the international community to strengthen bilateral regional and international dialogue and cooperation, actively promote the construction of global information infrastructure such as submarine cables, jointly protect submarine cables, improve the level of global digital interconnection, and build a more fair, reasonable, safe and stable, and vibrant cyberspace, and work together to build a cyberspace community with a shared future, Mao stressed.
China’s inbound foreign investment ‘still at historic high’; says official Â
China’s inbound foreign investment from January to November in 2023 was still at historic high amid fluctuation, according to the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Thursday, vowing to further promote high-quality opening-up to attract foreign investment.
He Yadong, a MOFCOM spokesperson, made the remarks during a regular press conference held on Thursday in response to the fluctuation of China’s inbound foreign investment in 2023 hyped by foreign media, noting that the situation was caused by various reasons and should be considered from multiple point of views.
“From 2019 to 2021, China’s inbound foreign investment set new records for three consecutive years. During the first 11 months of 2022, China’s foreign direct investment (FDI) reached 1.16 trillion ($164.278 billion) yuan, the highest level for any comparable period in history,” He said.
Given this high base in 2022, it was normal to see fluctuation in inbound foreign investment from January to November this year, said He, noting that the 1.04 trillion yuan of inbound foreign investment during the period was still at historic levels.
In terms of external environment, He cited data from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and stated that the global FDI fell by 12.4 percent in 2022 and kept declining in 2023.
However, from January to November this year, the number of newly established foreign investment-backed enterprises in China reached 48,000, jumping by 36.2 percent year-on-year, reflecting strong momentum for foreign investment to Chinese market, he noted.
With the upgrade of foreign investment structure, China’s high technology sector attracted 386.65 billion yuan of foreign investment from January to November this year, accounting for 37.2 percent of total inbound foreign investment volume, He noted.
“In general, China’s economic growth has maintained steady momentum and kept consolidating, and the nation will further promote high-quality opening-up. The attractiveness of Chinese market will further improve as the effects of policies rolled out earlier gradually emerge,” He stated.
