1. There was no consistency in the trends for the rankings on China.  The Control of Corruption and Country Credit rankings improved, while the Index of Economic Freedom and Political Risk Rating deteriorated. 
2. According to the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report for 2006-07, the three most problematic factors for doing business are inefficient government bureaucracy, access to financing, and policy instability.  Economic and policy instability also appeared in the Enterprise Survey as one of the top three constraints to firm investment (with tax rates and skills/education of workers also listed as top constraints).
3. According to Doing Business, China ranks in the top 5% of countries in cost to import and export a single container, but it ranks in the bottom 2% in labor tax and contributions (as a percent of profit) and non-wage labor cost (as a percent of profit).

View Comparison Chart

#	Indicator	Source	Rank			Scale	Score						Trend over past year1
			2008	2007	2006		2008	2007	2006	2005	2004	2003
1	Business Environment Index	EIU - Global Outlook Report		58 (82)	57 (82)	1-10		5.6	5.6	5.6	5.3	5.3
2	Control of Corruption Indicator	World Bank Group	137 (201)	121 (201)	137 (200)	-2.5-2.5	-0.7	-0.5	-0.7	-0.6	-0.5	-0.4
3	Country Credit Rating	Institutional Investor	34 (174)	34 (174)	36 (173)	0-100	76.5	73.9	69.8	66.0	63.4	60.0
4	Index of Economic Freedom	The Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal	126 (157)	134 (157)	123 (157)	0-100	52.8	51.8	53.4	53.5	52.5	52.6
5	Political Risk Rating (ICRG)	PRS Group	60 (140)	72 (140)	63 (140)	0-100	70.0	67.0	69.5	68.5	70.0	66.0
6	Doing Business Ranking	World Bank Group	83 (181)	90 (181)		1-1812
7	Quality of National Business Environment Ranking	World Economic Forum - Global Competitiveness Report		57 (127)	58 (111)	1-1272

View business legislation in the Doing Business Law Library.

View reports on the business environment produced by the World Bank Group within the last five years.

View projects associated with the World Bank Group's Finance and Private Sector Development unit. View brief summaries of the private sector strategy as stated in the most recent Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) document.

China Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) PSD focus:
(May 2006)

PSD Strategy:

1. Improving the business environment and strengthening regulatory capacity - The Bank Group will continue its analytical work in such areas as the investment climate, enterprise and public sector governance. The Bank Group will also help to strengthen the GoC’s regulatory capacity to respond to market liberalization and integration with the global economy;
2. Access to markets - The Bank Group help private enterprises to enter new sectors of the economy. IBRD will pursue this objective through providing TA to improve regulations and entry conditions in sectors such as infrastructure. IFC will support investment by private companies. In addition, MIGA guarantees can help private enterprises to attract foreign investments in these new industries where political risks may exist;
3. Upgrading corporate practices - IBRD and IFC will support improvements in corporate governance practices through investments (IFC) and by helping to create the knowledge and institutional capacity for: (i) strengthening listing requirements on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges; (ii) and assisting large enterprises in adopting and implementing codes of corporate social responsibility;
4. Access to finance and financial sector development - Given the critical importance of financial sector reform and development for the sustainability of China’s growth, support to financial sector reform will be an important area of focus for the World Bank Group. IBRD’s intervention will be mainly through AAA work, while IFC’s instruments will combine investments in private financial institutions with TA to improve corporate governance and risk management practices;
5. Environmental sustainability and energy efficiency;
6. Private participation in infrastructure;
7. Addressing regional imbalances.