At the weekend meeting in the western Chinese city of
Xi’an with Wen Jiabao, the Chinese premier, Jürgen
Hambrecht, chief executive of BASF, hit out at restrictions on foreign business and complained of foreign companies being forced to transfer business and technological know-how to Chinese companies in exchange for market
access. Peter Loescher, chief executive of Siemens, said foreign companies operating in China
expect to find equal conditions in the fields of public
tenders.
BASF and Siemens had combined sales in greater China of more than €9bn last year and employ more than 36,000 people in the
area.
The German executives’ comments were made directly to the Chinese premier, and in public, as part of Angela Merkel’s four-day state visit to the
country.
The German executives’ comments signalled a change of heart for business figures such as Hambrecht who have been vocal cheerleaders for China. Merkel tried to put a positive spin on the
encounter.
