Authoritative Interview on Implementing the Spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China | Expanding High level Opening Up to the Outside World and Accelerating the Construction of a Strong Domestic Market - Interview with Wang Wentao, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce

The "Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" (hereinafter referred to as the "Proposal"), which was reviewed and approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, has made arrangements for "expanding high-level opening up to the outside world" and "building a strong domestic market", and proposed specific measures such as "actively expanding independent opening up" and "vigorously boosting consumption".

How to implement the important task of expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world? How to further unleash consumption potential and provide strong support for building a strong domestic market? The reporter interviewed Wang Wentao, Secretary of the Party Group and Minister of the Ministry of Commerce.

Adhering to openness, cooperation and mutual benefit is the inevitable requirement of Chinese path to modernization

Question: The "Proposal" has made a special chapter deployment on "expanding high-level opening up to the outside world and creating a new situation of win-win cooperation". What is the significance of China expanding high-level opening up to the outside world during the "15th Five Year Plan" period?

Answer: The "15th Five Year Plan" period is a crucial period for consolidating the foundation and making comprehensive efforts to achieve socialist modernization, and expanding high-level opening up to the outside world is of great significance.

——Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is a powerful driving force for comprehensively promoting high-quality development. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, China's development faces both strategic opportunities and risks, as well as an increase in uncertain and unpredictable factors. This requires us to actively adapt to changes, make good use of development opportunities, potential, and advantages, fully and accurately implement the new development concept, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and focus on promoting high-quality development. Expanding high-level opening up to the outside world and leveraging the important role of opening up to promote reform and development can enhance the linkage effect between domestic and international markets and resources, and promote the effective improvement of the economy in terms of quality and reasonable growth in terms of quantity.

——Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is an inherent requirement to meet the needs of the people for a better life. Opening up to the outside world is closely related to the production and life of the people. By 2024, there will be nearly 700000 foreign trade enterprises with import and export performance, and nearly 500000 existing foreign-funded enterprises. Foreign trade and investment will directly and indirectly drive employment of more than 200 million people, and a large number of high-quality imports will promote industrial upgrading and consumption upgrading. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, opening up to the outside world will still play an important role in stabilizing growth, employment, and benefiting people's livelihoods. Expanding high-level opening up to the outside world and making the cake of openness bigger and better can help continuously improve the quality of people's lives and better benefit the people with the fruits of development.

——Expanding high-level opening up to the outside world is an initiative to promote economic globalization. Individual countries have implemented tariff barriers, "decoupling and chain breaking," unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, and the world's openness index is continuously declining. But overall, the direction of economic globalization has not changed and will not change. Expanding high-level opening up to the outside world, firmly standing on the correct side of history, upholding multilateralism and free trade, and deepening international cooperation in industrial and supply chains are not only beneficial for us to win strategic initiative in fierce international competition, but also to promote world openness through our own opening up and promote inclusive economic globalization.

——Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is an important measure to build a community with a shared future for mankind. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, countries will continue to have close connections and influences with each other, while also facing many common challenges. Expanding high-level opening up, accelerating the high-quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road", and promoting the implementation of the global development initiative, the global security initiative, the global civilization initiative, and the global governance initiative will help all countries work together to meet challenges, carry out global cooperation, build an open world economy, and promote the building of a community of shared future for mankind to go deep and solid.

Fully implement the main task of expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world

Q: What are the key tasks for expanding high-level opening-up during the 15th Five Year Plan period?

Answer: Regarding the opening up work during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the "Proposal" has made important arrangements in four aspects. We will adhere to and strengthen the Party's overall leadership over the opening up work, promote the implementation of relevant decisions and arrangements of the Proposal, constantly improve the level of opening up, and expand the development space of Chinese path to modernization.

One is to actively expand independent opening up. We will proactively align with international high standard economic and trade rules. Focusing on the service industry, expanding market access and opening up areas. Expand unilateral open areas and regions.

Actively expanding economic and trade cooperation, fully and deeply participating in the reform of the World Trade Organization, using multilateral platform mechanisms, accelerating the process of regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements, and expanding the network of high standard free trade zones. Implementing zero tariff measures for African countries with diplomatic relations through the signing of economic partnership agreements for common development, and flexibly and pragmatically signing more bilateral and small multilateral trade and investment agreements.

To build an open highland, comprehensively and deeply implement the strategy of upgrading the pilot free trade zone, construct Hainan Free Trade Port with high standards, improve the policy support system of the national economic development zone, deepen and optimize the comprehensive pilot demonstration of expanding the opening up of the national service industry, construct a national service trade innovation and development demonstration zone, and carry out various pilot tests of opening up.

The second is to promote innovative development in trade. We will strengthen the "three pillars" of trade power, namely goods trade, service trade, and digital trade.

Optimize and upgrade goods trade, expand intermediate goods trade and green trade, promote market diversification and integration of domestic and foreign trade; Vigorously develop service trade and improve the negative list management system for cross-border service trade; Innovatively develop digital trade and orderly expand the opening up of the digital field. Support the development of new formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce, promote high-quality development of overseas warehouses, market procurement trade methods, bonded maintenance, and remanufacturing, and enhance the digitalization level of trade.

At the same time, we will promote balanced development of imports and exports, increase efforts to expand imports, and create the "Export to China" brand, which not only meets the needs of industrial transformation and upgrading, but also better meets the people's needs for a better life.

The third is to expand the space for two-way investment cooperation. In terms of attracting foreign investment, we will enhance the brand of "Invest in China", shape new advantages in attracting foreign investment, implement the principle of "access and operation", and create a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment. Continuously optimize services, organize foreign enterprise roundtables, turn the "demand list" of enterprises into our "service list", and make foreign investment willing to come, stay, and develop well.

In terms of outward investment, effective implementation of outward investment management, improvement of overseas comprehensive service system, guidance of rational and orderly cross-border layout of production and supply chains, promotion of trade and investment integration, and expansion of diversified platform functions in overseas economic and trade cooperation zones.

Fourth, jointly build the "the Belt and Road" with high quality. We will strengthen the strategic alignment with the joint construction of the country, and coordinate the promotion of major landmark projects and "small but beautiful" livelihood projects. Deepen practical cooperation in trade, investment, industry, and culture, expand trilateral and multi-party market cooperation, expand cooperation in green, digital, and artificial intelligence fields, and build a high standard "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone. We will strengthen friendship, mutual trust, and interest integration with other countries, and continuously expand new spaces for win-win development.

Adhere to the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand and vigorously boost consumption

Q: The Proposal emphasizes that "a strong domestic market is the strategic basis for Chinese path to modernization" and proposes to "vigorously boost consumption". What are the main focus points in the next step?

Answer: The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized the need to adhere to the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand. China has the advantage of a super large market, with a population of over 1.4 billion and a large middle-income group. The diverse demands of the people for high-quality living continue to grow, containing enormous consumption potential.

During the 14th Five Year Plan period, China's commodity consumption scale ranked second in the world, and service consumption maintained rapid growth. The average annual contribution rate of consumption to economic growth reached about 60%, and the role of the main engine continued to be prominent. At the same time, we continue to open up our markets to the world and are the top export destination for nearly 80 countries and regions. We have held the CIIE for eight consecutive years, promoting industrial and consumer upgrading.

The "Proposal" proposes to vigorously boost consumption. We will adapt to changes in residents' consumption needs, adhere to the close combination of benefiting the people and promoting consumption, deeply implement special actions to boost consumption, create the "Buy in China" brand, cultivate and build an international consumption environment, expand the supply of high-quality consumer goods and services, and provide strong support for building a strong domestic market and promoting high-quality development.

One is to actively expand service consumption. We will adhere to the principle of "opening up to the outside world and opening up to the inside world", and focus on expanding service consumption by relaxing access and integrating business formats. Implement the action plan to improve the quality and benefit the people of service consumption, improve the "1+N" policy and measure system for service consumption, implement the 38 policy measures that have already been introduced, and promote the formulation and introduction of policy documents to promote the integrated development of railways and tourism, as well as the high-quality development of the domestic service industry. We will also vigorously cultivate new growth points for service consumption, such as travel, cruise ships, yachts, sports events, etc., promote pilot projects, cultivate high-quality brands, clear restrictive measures, and inject new momentum into the development of service consumption.

The second is to promote the expansion and upgrading of commodity consumption. We will increase the efforts of inclusive policies that directly reach consumers, continue to organize consumer promotion activities such as the "Quality Consumption Month", and enable the people to enjoy more tangible benefits. Promote the consumption of bulk durable goods, advance the pilot reform of automobile circulation consumption, expand automobile consumption throughout the entire chain, and promote the consumption of household appliances. Cultivate and strengthen the consumption of upgraded goods, and unleash the potential of green, intelligent and other consumption. Support the consumption of characteristic products, promote the consumption of domestic "trendy products", foreign trade excellent products, and international boutique products, and promote "artificial intelligence+consumption".

The third is to innovate and create consumer scenarios. Improve the system and mechanism for promoting consumption, establish and improve management measures that adapt to new forms, models, and scenarios of consumption, strengthen the promotion of the "three new" pilot work, and support 50 cities to carry out pilot projects. Cultivate international consumer center cities and gather high-quality global consumer resources. Implement the exit tax rebate policy and expand inbound consumption. Develop the first tier economy, promote the integration of business travel, culture, sports, and health, create a group of new consumption scenarios with wide driving force and high display, and further unleash the potential of diversified and differentiated consumption.