Foreign Investment Encouraged for Afforestation EffortsChina will soon issue a regulation to encourage foreign businesspeople to invest in afforestation, according to sources from the State Forestry Administration (SFA).The regulation will clearly set out the procedures for application and tax fees for foreign investors on afforestation. Foreign businesspeople can also apply for low-interest loans. A SFA official said that the legal rights of foreign-funded afforestation enterprises will be protected, which means that no units or individuals can infringe upon land rights, ownership of woods and other legal rights of foreign investors. Afforestation departments should take active measures to draw in foreign funds, as well as funds from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan for afforestation, the official said. Foreign businesspeople began to invest in afforestation years ago. South China's Guangdong Province has utilized 154 million US dollars of foreign funds for afforestation. |
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