US chamber of commerce in China urges more transparency from government, rule of law

The American Chamber of Commerce in China is calling for more government transparency and fairness as the confidence of U.S. companies in the country's investment climate deteriorates.

The chamber said in its annual white paper Tuesday that its members wanted to see the government apply the rule of law and more fairly enforce business regulations.

The report also called for better enforcement of intellectual property rights and greater access to the Chinese economy for foreign companies.

Chamber Vice Chairman Lester Ross said a more open decision-making process could have helped the government avoid a backlash against proposed rules requiring banks to replace foreign-made technology with domestically-produced versions. The government suspended the requirement last week.

Some 3,800 individuals from more than 1,000 companies operating in China belong to the chamber.