There is talk that the Beijing and and Guangdong governments are starting to play hard-to-get with foreign investors, downplaying their importance in upgrading China’s manufacturing, R&D and local market offerings.

However one report in The Japan Times indicates that Dongguan, at least, is still welcoming foreign investment.

A vice mayor of the Chinese industrial city of Dongguan urged Japanese manufacturers Friday to expand on its turf and exploit its domestic market to help the city recover from the global economic crisis and fall in exports.

“We are looking for more Japanese manufacturers to build R&D (research and development) centers in our city and create domestic brands, securing distribution routes,” Jiang Ling, vice mayor of Dongguan in Guangzhou Province, said at a news conference in a hotel in Minato Ward, Tokyo.

In many ways, what Jiang is saying is in lockstep with what the central and Guangdong governments seem to be promoting– focus on domestic consumption, R&D and high-tech manufacturing.

But what makes Jiang’s comments interesting are that he’s actively courting foreign investment, stating clearly that it essential for the area’s recovery.  Moreover, he’s speaking on behalf of Dongguan’s townships and villages, and these are the organizations which will be interpreting and implementing whatever policies flow down from Beijing and Guangzhou.

While this doesn’t mean that Dongguan is a good place to set up labor-intensive manufacturing, it does indicate that Dongguan, at least, is still Foreign Investment friendly.