CRI听力:China Still Attractive for Investors

Amid the shift to the so-called "New Normal," China's GDP growth slowed to 7.3 percent for last year, the lowest in over two decades.

And this figure is predicted to decline further this year, to even below 7 percent.

But Yoshihisa Tabata with the Japan External Trade Organization says the downturn is not enough to deter Japanese investors from making inroads into China.

"It's true that China's economic growth has been slowing, but few Japanese companies believe that the slowdown has had a significantly detrimental impact on the market. Many instead consider it as a part of the 'new normal' and are inclined to seize the opportunity to expand their businesses in the nation."

While China is pursuing a slower but more stable growth, European enterprises are also showing strong interest in expanding their footprints in the world's second-largest economy.

Winfried Bostelmann with the German Association for Small and Medium-sized Businesses says there are still big opportunities in the country, especially for SMEs.

"German companies are very well aware that China is growing more and more, so the Chinese market for our companies, especially small German companies, small medium-sized enterprises. So they are highly specialized and they see a big opportunity in China. Nowadays, it's much more than possibly 10 years ago."

Winfried says China's manufacturing, environmental protection, medical equipment, finance and education sectors are most promising.

"Areas actually our Germany companies are very much interested (in) is five industries and these five industries plan, years ahead, to invest more money. So there is more outgoing investment from Germany - that means FDIs for China."

At the same time, Richard Bruton, Irish Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, says substantial outcomes are expected from growing Ireland-China business ties.

"We're seeing more businesspeople come here. Last year, 20 percent increase in the number of Irish companies doing business here. We're seeing more Chinese companies visiting Ireland. We have a joint Irish-Chinese technology fund, which is investing in high-growth, emerging companies. So I think we are seeing bonds built that will be, for the long-term, beneficial for the people in both China and Ireland. That's something that we are very determined to encourage and develop."

Official statistics show that close to 19-thousand foreign-invested companies were established in China in the first 9 months of this year, up over 10 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, the amount of foreign capital actually used in the country grew 9 percent from a year earlier to surpass 580 billion yuan.

As the country became a net capital exporter for the first time last year, economists also suggest Chinese firms step up overseas investment, but in more diverse sectors - besides energy and mining.

For CRI, I'm Tu Yun.