Foreign high-tech investment in China remains robust as the nation continues to be the first choice for multinational R&D, Qian Fangli, deputy director of Foreign Investment Department of Commerce, said at a forum last Thursday.

The forum, hosted by the Quality Brands Protection Committee (QBPC) discussed how to protect innovation and continue to attract international R&D investment.

Foreign investment accounted for 29.4 percent of the total in the high-tech sector in the first three quarters of last year, according to statistics released by the National Development and Reform Commission.

More multinationals have established R&D facilities in China as their business centers in the Asia-Pacific region or upgraded them as global R&D centers, according to a study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

Efforts at increasing innovation should not just focus on the number of patent applications, but should pay more attention to the quality of products, said Thomas Pattloch, intellectual property attach for the European Union.

Only when China's enterprises improve their product quality will they have real innovation capabilities, Pattloch said.

China's innovation policy should consider international markets so the nation can continue to attract foreign investment, Pattloch added.
                                                                                                   Source: China Daily