The Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China which has handled 980 foreign-related court cases in five years, has broadened its legal protection for foreign businesses.
The Guangxi Higher People's Court has set up provisions to legally protect foreign investors and those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in recent years, and cleared several legal documents at various levels in line with World Trade Organization rules, according to Qin Rifei, president of the Autonomous Region's Higher People's Court.
The region has also set up specific judiciary branches to hear different foreign-related cases including civil actions, and those dealing with intellectual property rights and maritime commerce.
Legal protection has boosted foreign investment in the region. In the past five years, it attracted over US$4 billion in actual foreign investment, a high rate among China's 12 western regions. At present, 40 of the world's top 500 companies had invested in Guangxi, Qin said.
(eastday.com January 15, 2003)
