Foreign enterprises 'should not worry' about export law

The Ministry of Commerce reiterated on Thursday that foreign companies have nothing to worry about regarding the Export Control Law because China's business environment will continue to improve.

The legislative work on regulations related to the law is under drafting and the list of the goods concerned will be further improved. The list will be released in due course, said Gao Feng, the ministry's spokesman.

Meanwhile, the list attached to the previous export control regulations remains in effect.

Gao was speaking during an online news conference in answer to a question on whether foreign companies may be required under this law to submit additional information to the Chinese government, including their intellectual property rights or trade secrets, when applying to export goods on the list.

The law, which took effect on Tuesday, states that if any country or region abuses export control measures to endanger China's national security and interests, China can take reciprocal measures commensurate with the actual conditions.

China will carry out its export control work in accordance with internationally accepted practices, and will effectively protect all legal rights and interests of the exporters, including intellectual property rights on various products, Gao said.

"Foreign-funded companies should not be worried," he said.

The Export Control Law stipulates that export control work should support the overall national security concept and improve export control management and services, said Song Wei, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing.

Export control has become an important means of ensuring national security and interests. Large economies and regional blocs, such as the United States and the European Union, have introduced export control laws, said Xue Rongjiu, deputy director of the China Society for WTO (World Trade Organization) Studies in Beijing.

China just upgraded its foreign trade legal system to reinforce the protection of its own industrial and growth interests, he added.