Chinese keen to invest in Romanian infrastructure

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Romania, Liu Zengwen, stated, on Friday, during a press conference marking the inauguration of the Mures branch of the Romanian-Chinese Friendship Association, that Chinese entrepreneurs were interested in investing in Romanian road infrastructure projects, Mediafax reports.

Mr. Liu added that Romanian and Chinese officials had discussed a possible collaboration in this sector and representatives of a Chinese company had even embarked on a number of preliminary visits and discussed technical matters, but, in his opinion, “for now, this process is too slow and needs to be stepped up”.

“We have to admit there are a number of problems which need to be solved, after both parties seek the right solutions,” Liu Zengwen further stated. According to the latter, Chinese investors have to study in-depth the legislative frame and the term within which they can get a return on their investment, to ensure there are mutual advantages. “Investment is not something you get for nothing,” the ambassador added.

According to the Chinese official, for larger investments, state guarantees or commercial guarantees should be provided, and, at the moment, the Romanian state is unable to offer them, as it is conditioned by the budget deficit target agreed with the IMF and the European Union.

Liu Zengwen argued that Romania should, by all means, meet this term, which creates “a dilemma”, but added that both parties – the Romanian and the Chinese – had agreed to look for solutions “together, making all necessary efforts”.

As regards the volume of commercial trade between Romania and China, figures are on the rise, amounting to USD 1.24 bln after the first four months of 2011. “The volume of trade rose by 12 pc compared to (the same interval of) the preceding year,” the ambassador stated.

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Source: Nine O'Clock