The Made in China 2025 initiative brings equal opportunities to foreign and domestic enterprises and will strengthen the role of the market, the country's top industry regulator said in response to a suggestion by the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China that the initiative creates uneven playing field.

The initiative, which was designed to promote high-end manufacturing in China, adheres to government-led, market-oriented principles, said Miao Wei, minister of Industry and Information Technology.

"Foreign and Chinese enterprises will continue to be treated equally. We have never forced foreign companies to transfer technology," Miao said at a news conference on the sidelines of the annual plenary session of the National People's Congress.