China: State media dismisses foreign criticism of antitrust bias

China’s state run news agency has rejected concerns raised in recent weeks by foreign companies accusing Chinese antitrust officials of unfairly targeting foreign companies to boost domestic businesses.

According to reports, the Xinhua News Agency says that recent competition probes into Microsoft and GlaxoSmithKline have “nothing to do with where they are from.”

The commentary was unsigned, reports say.

”Some people say the Chinese market, once the hottest growth market for Western firms, is getting chillier. It might be so, but only for those law-breaking ones, be they foreign or homegrown,” the article said.

The defense came in response to recent complaints by several US companies and lobbyists that Chinese competition officials are unfairly targeting foreign firms. Claims of bias have lead overseas companies to rethink their strategy in China, and some experts warn that the concern could lead to lessened foreign investment in the country.

In response to a survey conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, 60 percent of respondents said they felt foreign businesses are now less welcome in China than they were before.

Full content: Bloomberg

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