China's opening-up policy in manufacturing sector applicable to all: premier

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (L) and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte hold a joint press conference in The Hague, the Netherlands, Oct. 15, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

China's new policy to further open up its basic manufacturing sector by removing foreign ownership restrictions is applicable to all, Premier Li Keqiang said Monday.

The remarks were made when Li and his Dutch counterpart, Mark Rutte, jointly met here with the press during his official visit to the Netherlands starting Sunday.

"The policy is not just for some specific companies of some specific countries," Li said in response to a question on a recent agreement between China and German which will see German chemical giant BASF invest 10 billion U.S. dollars to build a Verbund chemical production site in China.

The chemical complex will be wholly owned by BASF.

Dutch companies are welcome to make such large-scale investment in China to establish enterprises wholly owned by themselves, Li told the press.

"Our opening-up policy is consistent and applicable to all without discrimination," Li said.

Li arrived in the Netherlands on Sunday for an official visit, the first such visit by a Chinese premier in 14 years.