On the same day, Wang met in Beijing with David Ricks, CEO of US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Wang said that he meets with senior executives of multinational companies during the China Development Forum each year to hear their views on the current situation, understand the problems they encounter in China and hear their suggestions.

　　Ricks said it was always a pleasure to return to China, to meet various friends and expand the company"s business. "We had a strong year last year going a bit above the market and we have high expectations for this year … driven by our breakthrough innovations, which have been thanks to your agency"s help along with many others in the government," he said to Wang.

　　Eli Lilly announced on March 11 that it plans to invest $3 billion over the next decade to expand its supply chain capacity in China and establish a localized production and supply system for oral solid dosage forms. This marks its second major investment in China in the past two years.

　　He said they now expect drug approvals in China to be completed within four weeks, noting that regulatory processes have been significantly accelerated and are increasingly aligned with global standards. He said these changes are producing "two very positive effects," including stronger foreign direct investment from companies such as Eli Lilly.

　　Similar moves are being seen across other foreign companies seeking to deepen their presence in China.

　　Li Xingqian, vice chairman of CCPIT, met with executives from The Cohen Group in Beijing on March 20 to exchange views on supporting foreign firms in China, outbound investment, supply chain cooperation and APEC-related business engagement.

　　In another case, Michelin (China) Investment Co recently increased its registered capital from $224 million to $319 million, a rise of about 42 percent, according to corporate registry data.