Visiting Chinese Minister of Commerce Chen Deming said on Wednesday that the Chinese government has been continuing to strengthen the intellectual property protection.

He emphasized in the economic forum held by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Austria that "A nation will not be innovative without the protection of the Intellectual Property Right (IPR)."

Chen said that with the rapid economic development in China, investment cooperation is becoming the new hot spot for economic and trade relations between China and Austria.

He noted the Chinese Government is committed to creating a more open and optimize investment environment, and constantly improving IPR protection level.

China welcomes Austrian companies to increase investment in the fields of high-end manufacturing, high-tech industries, modern service industry, new energy and energy-saving industry, according to the Chinese minister.

He also stressed that "The Chinese government reiterated that all foreign invested enterprises in China enjoy full equality of treatment as Chinese enterprises. The Chinese government supports business innovations, including innovations of foreign-funded enterprises in China."

The Chinese trade and investment promotion mission with over 80 Chinese enterprises, which is led by Chen, participated in the economic forum to discuss with about 100 major enterprises in Austria and sign about 20 cooperation agreements.