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China pledges greater cooperation with foreign companies

President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials applaud at the National People's Congress.
China's Vice Premier Wang Yang (Left), President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang applaud after the foreign investment law was passed during the closing session of the National People's Congress. Photo: Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese officials completed the 2019 National People's Congress on Thursday night. Notably, lawmakers passed a bill to eliminate the requirement that foreign companies transfer proprietary technology to Chinese partners and said it will protect against "illegal government interference."

The big picture: The body also pledged greater cooperation with American and European companies on Belt and Road initiatives.

Over the course of the policy meeting lawmakers passed several proposals:

  • Cut this year's growth target to 6% — 6.5% from "around 6.5%."
  • Increased tax and fee reduction to 2 trillion yuan (about $298 billion) for 2019, from 1.3 trillion yuan in 2018.
  • Pledged more bond issuance by local governments to support higher fiscal spending.
  • Announced China will not give up on "structural deleveraging" and will strive to keep total deleveraging "broadly stable."

Go deeper: Competitors worry that China is using Belt and Road for political gain

China economy