BERLIN, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Vice Prime Minister Li Keqiang, visiting Europe, says China will be more open to the world but some experts want to know if the offer has any strings attached.
Li's promise appeared in an article he wrote in the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, carried Thursday by the official Chinese news agency Xinhua. Li said to improve the investment environment, "China will continue to improve foreign business-related laws … and protect intellectual property rights … to provide a level playing field … ."
He said China will "explore new areas of opening-up and raise the level of opening-up. And China will only open wider to the outside world."
Li's visit comes at a time when European Union faces its biggest crisis. His offer of support included formalizing $7.5 billion worth of business agreement in Spain, while indicating China is looking for better trade ties with its new European business partners, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
Analysts told the Monitor China's message is clear in that, in offering help using its vast foreign exchange reserves of $2.7 trillion it seeks technology and open doors in return.
"China has become the world's fireman from a financial point of view. It operates the same way everywhere, and high tech is to Europe what commodities are to Africa," Jose Ignacio Torreblanca at the European Council on Foreign Relations told the Monitor. "And Europe doesn't have a choice but to accept this."
"It's understandable that China has linked its support to progress in closer relation with the EU, lifting of restrictions, and improved potential to exchange high tech. That is still an issue for China and there are some expectations that further progress can be made there as a quid pro quo," said economist Vanessa Rossi at the London-based Chatham House.
The Monitor said some European countries do not trust China. There is yet no consensus on relaxing the embargo on selling arms to China sought by Spain and France.
