The rule is being worked on by the State Economic and Trade Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

It will reflect China's determination to keep its promises to the World Trade Organization and further rectify and regulate the distribution sector in order to create a fair and transparent market environment for overseas enterprises, she said.

Wu was speaking at a trade fair attended by global retail groups in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province.

The central government has just completed a campaign to check on and rectify foreign-funded companies that had been approved when local governments exceeded their authority in the past, according to the State councillor.

She also urged Chinese companies to improve the quality of their products and increase their exports through cooperation with international retail groups.

Chinese companies should also put greater effort into developing products with their own intellectual property rights and they should never infringe on the rights of others, the official said.

She expressed her hope that international retailers would buy more Chinese-made goods, increase their marketing networks in the country, and find more local companies that were well-operated and produced quality products.

The special trade fair was co-sponsored by the State Economic and Trade Commission and the Jiangsu provincial government. It was attended by 34 foreign retail groups from 15 countries and regions as well as 1,103 local manufacturers.

(China Daily April 25, 2002)