China moves to halt slowing private investment

China will take targeted measures to counter the slowdown in private investment, the top economic planner said Tuesday, including reducing fees and relaxing market access.

The economic planner's remarks follow a drop in private investment growth data, which rose 3.9 percent year on year in the first five months, slowing from a 5.2 percent rise in the January-April period.

Poor implementation of government policies; high operational costs;house rent and taxes; and pressure from the de-capacity drive have been blamed for the falloff, according to Li Pumin, spokesperson for the National Development and Reform Commission.

To help reverse the trend, the government must take strong measures, Li said.

"We should make all-out efforts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and encourage private enterprises to start new businesses and explore investment opportunities," Li said.

He also encouraged private firms to make good use of the opportunities afforded by mixed ownership reform and the public-private partnership (PPP) push.

Private investment accounted for 62 percent of all investment in the first five months, data from National Bureau of Statistics data showed Monday. Endi