On Monday, China’s commerce minister, Chen Deming, wrote an op-ed in the FT entitled “Thriving China is ever more open for business”. The article sought to allay foreign companies’ fears that the business climate in China is becoming more hostile.
But on the very same day, the Chinese government rejected an application from Mark Clifford, executive director of Asia Business Council, an independent and influential business group, to travel to China under the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) Business Travel Card arrangement.
Under the Apec scheme, businessmen can travel visa-free, by first applying for a travel card and then applying individually to specific countries. Clifford applied to all twelve participating countries - eleven approved his application, but China rejected it.