CHINA is open for business and that’s the message to foreign investors from top financial regulators at a high-profile forum in Shanghai on Thursday.

The world’s second-largest economy has played host in recent months to high-profile overseas CEOs including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Goldman Sachs Group’s David Solomon.

“We warmly welcome foreign-funded institutions with sound operations and excellent qualifications to expand their business in China,” said Li Yunze, head of China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration. “Opening-up is China’s long-term national policy, and the door of China’s financial industry will only be opened wider and wider.”

He was speaking at the annual Lujiazui Forum, where senior representatives from HSBC, Credit Agricole, Merrill Lynch, Mizuho Financial, Schroders and Paypal are also due to speak.

China’s top financial regulators have consistently stressed how open their markets are.

Amid China’s push to attract more foreign capital, municipal governments and business officials in China have been trying to lure foreign direct investments through their trips overseas since late last year, when the country moved to optimize its COVID-19 response.

Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, told Thursday’s forum participants that China will “adamantly push for comprehensive deregulation in terms of market access, institution qualification and products.” (SD-Agencies)