Foreign-funded companies total 436,800 in China

BEIJING - A total of 436,800 foreign-funded enterprises had set up shop in China by the end of June, an increase of 68.55 percent from 2002, according to the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Their registered capital has more than doubled over the past decade to hit $1.79 trillion as of the end of June, according to a SAIC seminar held Friday.

The number of domestic enterprises surged by 78.57 percent from 2002 to 12.65 million, with combined registered capital amounting to 65.9 trillion yuan ($10.45 trillion).

China has also seen a boom in private business. Individually-owned businesses expanded by 63.87 percent from 2002 to 38.96 million by the end of June, with registered capital reaching 1.78 trillion yuan during the period.

SAIC deputy head Liu Yuting said the administration will step up efforts to help these enterprises understand government polices and market conditions, as well as assist them with anti-counterfeiting and trademark protection efforts.