Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo in Shanghai, China on Friday, Nov 4, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING – Openness is a key driving force behind the progress of human civilizations and an intrinsic path toward global prosperity and development, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday.
China is ready to work with all countries to practice true multilateralism, build more consensus for openness, jointly overcome the difficulties and challenges confronting global economic growth, and make sure that the commitment to openness will bring about broad prospects for global development, he said while addressing the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo via video.
The CIIE has become a showcase of the country's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world, he said.
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Five years ago, China decided to hold the CIIE for the very purpose of expanding opening-up and turning its enormous market into enormous opportunities for the world, he added.
We will engage fully and deeply in WTO reform negotiations, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and enhance international macro-economic policy coordination, with a view to jointly fostering new drivers for global growth.
Xi Jinping, President, China
The world today is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century as well as a sluggish economic recovery, he said. "We should commit ourselves to openness to meet development challenges, foster synergy for cooperation, build the momentum of innovation, and deliver benefits to all."
The Chinese leader also called for efforts to steadily advance economic globalization, enhance every country's dynamism of growth, and provide all nations with greater and fairer access to the fruits of development.
He said China will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities from deepened international cooperation.
"We will engage fully and deeply in WTO reform negotiations, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and enhance international macro-economic policy coordination, with a view to jointly fostering new drivers for global growth.”
China will endeavor actively to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement to expand the globally-oriented network of high-standard free trade areas, said Xi.
The country will also firmly support other developing countries and assist them in growing faster, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Xi added.
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China will work with all countries and parties to share the opportunities in its vast market, he said, adding: "We will step up efforts to cultivate a robust domestic market, upgrade trade in goods, develop new mechanisms for trade in services, and import more quality products," he said.
This Nov 2, 2022 photo shows the west entrance of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue of the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China's Shanghai. (FANG ZHE / XINHUA)
Efforts will also be made to establish pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and build national demonstration zones for innovative development of trade in services, in order to encourage innovation in trade and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, he added.
China will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities from its institutional opening-up.
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It will steadily expand institutional opening-up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards, put into full effect the new Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, and further develop the national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the service sector, according to Xi.
"We will implement the strategy to upgrade pilot free trade areas, accelerate the Hainan Free Trade Port development, and tap into their role as pilot platforms for comprehensive reform and opening-up.”
China will strive to create new opportunities for the world with its own development, he said.
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"We will amplify the interplay between domestic and international markets and resources, strive to create new opportunities for the world with our own development, and contribute our share to building an open global economy.”