This year’s event drew criticism from the European Chamber of Commerce in China on Friday, which branded it a “political showcase” and urged authorities to enact more tangible measures to restore confidence in the country among European businesses. China’s No. 2 official vowed “to protect the rights and interests of foreign investors in accordance with the law,” comments that come after a measure of foreign investment into the world’s second-largest economy turned negative for the first time since records began in 1998. The promise to boost imports from other nations comes despite the slowdown in the Chinese economy, which has...