About 17 percent of Germany's mid- sized companies are already doing direct business in China, a survey showed on Saturday.

The survey, conducted by the academics in the University of Padersborn in Germany for the consultant company Ernst and Young, also found that 12 percent of the 3,000 German companies that had been questioned said they intended to enter China.

"Most of the surveyed said their experience of China had been good," the German news agency DPA said in a report.

The report quoted Peter Englisch of the Ernst and Young as saying that the Germans have recognized the incredible potential of Asian nations, particularly China.

The survey focused on family-owned mid-sized firms, whose shares are traded on capital markets. These firms could benefit in long term from establishing factories in China since the industriousness and availability of Chinese staff was high and costs low compared to other locations, Englisch said.

The Ernst and Young has 107,000 employees and 700 locations in 140 countries. In fiscal year 2005, its revenues reached 16.9 billion US dollars.

Source: Xinhua