China will continue to stick to the policy of opening up and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) in the country, said Chen Deming, China's commerce minister, on Wednesday in Vienna.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Reinhold Mittelehner, the Austrian economic affairs minister, and Christoph Leitl, president of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, Chen said the Chinese government will step up intellectual property protection, and that all foreign investment enterprises in China will be treated equally.

He called on Austria's small and mid-sized businesses to invest in China, especially in western China where "there are better chances."