Chinese President Xi Jinpin said Monday he would protect the business interests of foreign companies operating in China and also increase the protection of intellectual property rights.

The intellectual property rights concerns reflect many months of reports that Chinese hackers are stealing technology and business secrets of non-Chinese companies.

The American Chamber of Commerce in China last month published a survey of U.S. businesses that revealed a big decline in the number of companies that felt China's business investment environment was improving, the Financial Times said.