Bo Xilai, China’s commerce minister, has rejected criticism that the country is turning protectionist, saying Beijing believes that the only way to ensure development is through greater competition and an open economy.

Mr Bo, speaking at a dinner hosted by European business leaders in Beijing, said central and local governments and increasingly the Chinese people understood that greater wealth resulted from openness. “I don’t think there should be such worries [about economic nationalism], because in the past 28 years [of openness], we have made such progress,” he said. “Why should we abandon good policies?