BEIJING - China will as always welcome companies from other countries to invest and operate in China, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesman Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a routine press briefing after Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, on Tuesday expressed confidence of European companies in China's development prospects.

By 2019, the European Union had been China's top trade partner for 16 consecutive years, with a total trade volume exceeding US$700 billion for the first time last year

"As a champion and promoter for an open world economy, China has always kept its door wide open and committed to provide a market-oriented, law-based and international business environment for companies from Europe and other parts of the world," Wang said.

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By 2019, the European Union had been China's top trade partner for 16 consecutive years, with a total trade volume exceeding US$700 billion for the first time last year, he said.

Wang emphasized that be it companies from Europe or other parts of the world, they are optimistic about China's economic prospect and improving business environment.

China will as always welcome European investors and companies from other countries, continue to firmly deepen reform and expand opening up, and provide more cooperation opportunities and development dividends for their operations in China, Wang said.

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"Foreign companies, including European ones, were part of the story of China's development, and we believe they will continue to be part of the successful story of China's development and win-win cooperation," he added.

China remains one of the top three destinations for 63 percent of respondents in a survey conducted earlier this year by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China and global consultancy firm Roland Berger.