GUIYANG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Premier Li Keqiang said Tuesday that he welcomed foreign investment in China, particularly in central and western regions.

Li was talking with business leaders on the sidelines of the China Big Data Industry Summit &China E-commerce Innovation and Development Summit in Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Li told them that there is a development disparity between eastern and inland regions, where there is great growth potential and plenty of investment opportunities.

"China attaches great importance to the protection of intellectual property rights and trade secrets. The country will step up cybersecurity and work to create an equal business environment for domestic and foreign-funded firms, " said the premier.

Rapid development of big data, cloud computing and the sharing economy is conducive to new economic drivers, Li said.

China will integrate big data and the Internet with manufacturing to upgrade traditional industries, said Li.

He also said the country will continue to push ahead with mass innovation and entrepreneurship and create a level playing field for growth companies.