On June 7, China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) organized a round table discussion with multinational companies about the development of service industry in China. AmCham China members Walmart, Yew Chung International School of Beijing and Right at Home all attended, representing the diversity of the service sector. The European Union Chamber also had four companies at the table.
Deputy Director General of the NDRC's Department of Development Planning Yue Xiuhu hosted the discussion and introduced the main function of his department – recommending strategies for economic and social development, such as five-year plan. Since China’s economy is now transforming from industrial to service-oriented, the commission wanted to better understand the experience from the viewpoint of multinational companies. After listening to company representatives’ perspectives on the development of their respective sectors in China and their predictions for the next 10 years, Yue said that China’s service industry should be market-driven and globalized. Protecting consumers may become the major concern of Chinese government.
