A recent survey shows 93 percent of foreign businesses in Shanghai are satisfied with China's performance following its entry into the World Trade Organization three years ago.

Of the 1,000 foreign-invested companies surveyed, 86 percent said they are optimistic about China's investment and trade environment in the coming two years, and more than 95 percent said they would either expand their China operations or maintain their present size.

The survey, conducted by Shanghai WTO Affairs Consulting Center in collaboration with Shanghai Society of International Trade, was based on a questionnaire on post-WTO China.

Eleven percent of the respondents gave China very high scores --over 90 points with grades from zero to 100 -- for its overall performance over the past three years. Twenty-seven percent gave grades between 80 and 89 and 42 percent graded the country between70 and 79.

Less than four percent of the companies surveyed gave China failing grades below 60, with comments that the country has a lot to improve to meet its commitments to the world trade conglomerate.

For 49 percent of the companies surveyed, the most essential issue for China to live up to its WTO commitment is to improve transparency. Other issues concerning their interests include enhancing protection of intellectual property rights and easier market access for foreign companies, according to the survey.

The companies surveyed, largely manufacturing firms or service providers, are mostly based in Japan, the United States, member states of the European Union and China's Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The majority of the companies entered China before its WTO entry and 40 percent of them have been in Shanghai for more than 10 years.

China joined the WTO in 2001 after 15 years' negotiations.

(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2004)