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China’s Xi Jinping, Liu He move to reassure private sector as Beijing’s Big Tech crackdown rattles entrepreneurs

  • President Xi Jinping and his top economic adviser, Vice-Premier Liu He, have sent strong messages of support to the private sector
  • Comments come as Beijing tightens oversight on industries ranging from private tutoring and Big Tech to celebrity culture

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Vice-Premier Liu He has tried to reassure the private sector of its critical place in China’s economy, despite recent regulatory pressure. Photo: AP

Beijing has stepped up efforts to reassure private businesses they have the unswerving backing of China’s top leadership, despite slugging the sector with a regulatory crackdown that has unnerved many entrepreneurs.

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On Monday, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and his top economic adviser, Vice-Premier Liu He, sent strong messages of support to the private sector, saying its role in the nation’s economic development had not been diminished.

Liu said private firms must be offered “vigorous” support so they can play a more significant part in growing China’s economy, creating jobs and deepening technological innovation.

But the comments come against a backdrop of deep uncertainty for many in the private sector, as Beijing tightens oversight on industries ranging from private after-school tutoring and Big Tech companies, to celebrity culture.
There are no changes in the principles and policies for supporting the development of the private economy
Liu He

“There are no changes in the principles and policies for supporting the development of the private economy; they have not changed now and will not change in the future,” Liu said in a video speech to a digital economy expo in Hebei province on Monday.

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