Expand high-level opening-up to the outside world (studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China)
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") passed at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasizes "expanding high-level opening up to the outside world and creating a new situation of cooperation and win-win results". This is a major strategic deployment made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, focusing on comprehensively promoting the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation through Chinese style modernization, and coordinating the domestic and international situations, providing fundamental guidance and action guidelines for expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world during the 15th Five Year Plan period.
1、 Deeply understand the significant significance of expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world
During the "14th Five Year Plan" period, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, we implemented a more proactive strategy of opening up, promoted the cause of opening up to the outside world to achieve historic achievements, and provided a more solid strategic support for Chinese path to modernization. The construction of a strong trading nation has achieved positive results, with the scale of goods trade ranking first in the world for eight consecutive years, service trade remaining at the forefront of the world, and digital trade developing rapidly; The utilization of foreign investment structure continues to optimize, and the golden signboard of "investing in China" continues to shine; Outward investment remains among the top three in the world, and international cooperation in industrial and supply chains is progressing in an orderly manner; Bilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation has yielded fruitful results. Practice has fully proved that the more China develops, the more open it becomes, and openness is the only way for a country to prosper and develop. The period of the 15th Five Year Plan 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.
（1） Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is a powerful driving force for comprehensively promoting high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "China's economic development in the past forty years has been achieved under open conditions, and in the future, achieving high-quality development of the Chinese economy must also be carried out under more open conditions. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, China's development environment is facing profound and complex changes, with strategic opportunities and risks coexisting, and an increase in uncertain and unpredictable factors. This requires us to actively recognize and 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.
（2） Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is an inherent requirement to meet the needs of the people for a better life. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: 'We must not forget our original intention, take benefiting the people as our fundamental value orientation, adhere to safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods in development, and steadily promote common prosperity.'. 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.
（3） Expanding high-level opening up to the outside world is an initiative to promote economic globalization. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "economic globalization is an irreversible historical trend" and "in the past, our opening up was" following ", but now our opening up is to" lead ". Recently, some countries have implemented tariff barriers, "decoupling and disconnection", unilateralism and protectionism have risen, and the world's openness index has been 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.
（4） Expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world is an important measure to build a community with a shared future for mankind. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "under the changing circumstances of a century, the world is interdependent and the fate of humanity is shared", and "building a community with a shared future for mankind is where the future of people around the world lies". 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.
2、 Accurately grasp the principle requirements for expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world
The Proposal emphasizes that "adhering to openness and cooperation, mutual benefit and win-win results are the inevitable requirements of Chinese path to modernization".
（1） Adhere to the combination of expanding opening up and deepening reform, and promote higher standards of opening up. The deeper the reform, the higher the requirements for the level of openness; The higher the level of openness, the greater the promoting effect on reform. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's level of openness has continued to improve, but the space for openness is still considerable. In the reform, we need to expand opening up, reduce barriers that restrict the flow of factors at the "border" and "behind the border", seize opportunities for digital and green development, continuously deepen factor flow oriented opening up, and steadily expand institutional oriented opening up. We need to deepen reform in the process of opening up, actively connect with and absorb international high standard economic and trade rules, deepen the reform of foreign trade, foreign investment, and foreign investment management system, and improve the high-level opening-up system and mechanism.
（2） Adhere to the synergy between independent opening up and agreement opening up, and promote and lead stronger opening up. The higher the level of independent openness, the stronger the capacity for agreement openness, and the two complement each other. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has made concerted efforts in independent opening up and agreement opening up, successively establishing 22 pilot free trade zones, accelerating the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port, granting 100% tariff free treatment to all least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations, increasing the proportion of trade volume with 31 free trade partners to 44% of China's total foreign trade, and promoting the achievement of multilateral agreements such as the Investment Facilitation Agreement to Promote Development. To promote independent opening up, continuously improve the level of openness, give full play to the pioneering role of various open platforms, and introduce more unilateral opening measures. We need to promote the opening up of agreements, sign high standard economic and trade agreements with more economies, actively participate in the formulation of international rules, and gradually shift China's opening up from "following" to "leading".
（3） Adhere to the promotion of domestic and international circulation, and promote better connectivity and openness. The new development pattern is not a closed domestic cycle, but a more open domestic and international dual cycle. In recent years, we have focused on enhancing the endogenous power and reliability of domestic circulation, improving the quality and level of international circulation, and firmly grasping the initiative of development in our own hands. We should use the domestic circulation to drive the international circulation, further stimulate the development momentum of commodity consumption, unleash the potential of service consumption, amplify the driving effect of emerging consumption, accelerate the construction of a strong domestic market, and enhance the attractiveness of global factor resources. To promote domestic circulation through international circulation, the more we face external containment and suppression, the more we must adhere to opening up to break through containment, expand the international "circle of friends", and achieve mutual promotion and benign interaction between domestic and international circulations at a higher level.
（4） Adhere to balancing China's needs with the world's expectations, and promote deeper cooperation and openness. China's development cannot be separated from the world, and the prosperity of the world also requires China. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China has adhered to openness and win-win cooperation, which has not only developed itself but also benefited the world. From 2013 to 2024, China's cumulative imports of goods and services reached 31.4 trillion US dollars, and its cumulative outward direct investment reached 1.9 trillion US dollars, promoting common development. The CIIE is getting better and better, with a total intended transaction volume of over 580 billion US dollars in the first eight editions, making the Chinese market a great opportunity for the world. We should adhere to the needs of China, deeply participate in the global industrial division and cooperation, maintain a diversified and stable international economic pattern and economic and trade relations, and expand the development space of Chinese path to modernization. To respond reasonably to the world's expectations, expand the intersection of interests with other countries, continuously provide new opportunities for the world with China's new development, and demonstrate the responsibility of a major country.
（5） Adhere to the coordinated promotion of development and maintenance of security, and promote more comprehensive opening up. Development and security should be dynamically balanced and mutually beneficial. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we have resolutely implemented the overall national security concept, continuously improved and maintained the economic security system, and significantly enhanced our ability to prevent risks and respond to shocks. To enhance strength and security through openness, we must remember that development and security are both fundamental principles. We must focus on doing our own things well, promote high-quality development through high-level openness, improve soft and hard power, and dynamically maintain national economic security at a higher level of openness. At the same time, the more open we are, the more we must attach importance to safety, focus on enhancing our own competitiveness, open regulatory capabilities, and risk prevention and control capabilities, and forge a strong and unbreakable body.
3、 Fully implement the main task of expanding high-level opening-up to the outside world
We must deeply study and implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership over opening up work, steadily expand institutional opening up, maintain the multilateral trading system, expand international circulation, promote reform and development through opening up, and share opportunities and common development with countries around the world.
（1） Actively expanding independent opening up. Aligning with international high standard economic and trade rules, and actively expanding openness in accordance with our own development needs. Focusing on the service industry, we will expand market access and open up areas, study and promote further expansion of pilot projects in the telecommunications and medical fields, orderly expand independent opening up in the service industry, and deepen and optimize the comprehensive pilot demonstration of expanding opening up in the national service industry. Expand unilateral opening-up areas and regions, and implement zero tariff treatment for all least developed countries that have established diplomatic relations. Accelerate the process of regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements, expand the network of high standard free trade zones, actively promote accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, implement the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with high quality, further weave the network of investment agreements, implement zero tariff measures for African diplomatic countries through the signing of economic partnership agreements for common development, and flexibly and pragmatically sign more bilateral and small multilateral trade and investment agreements. Optimize the layout of regional openness and create diverse forms of open highlands. Implement the strategy of upgrading the pilot free trade zone, optimize and adjust the scope of regional layout, carry out greater institutional opening-up experiments, enhance the innovation led development level, construct Hainan Free Trade Port with high standards, improve the policy support system of the national economic development zone, and coordinate the layout and construction of major open cooperation platforms such as scientific and technological innovation, service trade, and industrial development. Orderly promote the internationalization of the RMB, enhance the level of capital account openness, and build an independent and controllable RMB cross-border payment system. Promote the reform of global economic and financial governance, fully and deeply participate in the reform of the World Trade Organization, actively participate in the cooperation of mechanisms such as the United Nations, the G20, the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the BRICS countries, and promote the construction and maintenance of a fair, just, open, inclusive, and win-win international economic order.
（2） Promote innovative development in trade. Promote the improvement of foreign trade quality and efficiency, and accelerate the construction of a strong trading nation. Optimize and upgrade goods trade, expand intermediate goods trade and green trade, promote trade digitization, cultivate new drivers of foreign trade, promote market diversification and integration of domestic and foreign trade. Actively expanding imports, improving the level of import trade facilitation, cultivating national import trade promotion innovation demonstration zones, and promoting balanced development of imports and exports. Vigorously develop service trade, encourage the export of knowledge intensive and traditional advantageous services, vigorously develop inbound consumption, and expand the import of high-quality services. Improve the negative list management system for cross-border service trade and enhance the standardization level of service trade. Innovatively developing digital trade, orderly expanding the opening up of the digital field, actively developing digital product trade, continuously optimizing digital service trade, vigorously developing digital technology trade, and steadily exploring data trade. Enhance the functions of the trade promotion platform and organize exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, Canton Fair, China International Fair for Trade in Services, China International Fair for Trade in Data, China International Consumer Products Fair, and China International Fair for Investment and Trade. Support the development of new formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce, and promote high-quality development of overseas warehouses, market procurement and trade methods, bonded maintenance, and remanufacturing. Improve export control and security review mechanisms, comprehensively enhance the scientific management, precise licensing, effective law enforcement, and appropriate response capabilities of export control, and improve the trade remedy system.
（3） Expand the space for two-way investment cooperation. Continuously building the "Invest in China" brand and promoting international cooperation in industrial and supply chains. Shaping new advantages in attracting foreign investment, implementing the principle of "access and operation", reducing the negative list of foreign investment access, implementing the new version of the encouraged foreign investment industry catalog, and promoting domestic reinvestment of foreign investment. Establish a sound service guarantee system for foreign investment, hold a roundtable meeting for foreign-funded enterprises, carry out special visits for "service guarantee entering foreign enterprises", fully implement national treatment, promote efficient, convenient, and secure cross-border data flow, and create a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment. Effectively implement foreign investment management, improve the comprehensive overseas service system, and promote the formation of a comprehensive overseas service ecosystem that integrates central and local governments, regional coordination, resource aggregation, and internal and external connectivity. Guide the rational and orderly cross-border layout of industrial and supply chains, improve the network of industrial and supply chain cooperation partners, promote the integration of trade and investment, and expand the functions of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones' trade and investment platforms.
（4） High quality co construction of the "the Belt and Road". Strengthen friendship, mutual trust, and interest integration among countries jointly built, and continuously expand new spaces for win-win development. Strengthen the strategic alignment with the joint construction of the country, enhance cooperation planning and overall management, improve the layout of the three-dimensional interconnected network, and coordinate the promotion of major landmark projects and "small but beautiful" livelihood projects. Deepen pragmatic cooperation in trade, investment, industry, and culture, encourage comprehensive development in investment, construction, and operation, expand trilateral and multi-party market cooperation, and promote industrial interconnectivity. Expand new space for cooperation in green development, artificial intelligence, digital economy, health, tourism, agriculture and other fields, and establish a high standard "Silk Road E-commerce" cooperation pilot zone. Improve a diversified, sustainable, and risk controllable investment and financing system, support enterprises to carry out diversified layout of production areas, and promote innovation in cooperation fields, models, and formats. Strengthen the protection of overseas interests, improve the legal service system for foreign affairs, provide higher-level legal protection for enterprises' overseas investment rights, and safeguard their development and security interests.