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Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 21, by cableTopic: Create a New Highlands to Reform and Open – Perspective on Expanding China’s Pilot Free Trade Zone
Xinhua News Agency reporters Chen Weiwei and Xie Xiyao
A few days ago, the State Council issued the general plan for the Beijing, Hunan and Anhui pilot free trade zones and the expansion plan for the Zhejiang pilot free trade zone. What is the significance of the expansion of the pilot free trade zone? What differentiated exploration will be done? At the press conference of the State Council Information Office held on the 21st, Wang Shouwen, Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy Representative of International Trade Negotiations, gave an interpretation.
The pilot free trade zone is a testing ground for China’s reform and opening-up. Since the establishment of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2013, China has successively established 18 pilot free trade zones. With the addition of 3 this time, there are 21 pilot free trade zones. In the last seven years, the pilot free trade zone has formed 260 institutional innovations, which are replicated and promoted at the national level or in specific regions.
Why should the free trade area be further expanded? According to Wang Shouwen, the purpose of this measure is to stimulate the endogenous driving force for high-quality development through broader, broader and deeper reform and exploration; and promote the formation of a new pattern of development through a higher level of openness.
This expansion is conducive to continuing to serve the national development strategy. According to Wang Shouwen’s analysis, the four newly established pilot free trade zones or expansion zones will achieve full coverage of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, full coverage of the Yangtze River Delta, and overlapping of national development strategies such as the emergence of central China, which will help promote the formation of a comprehensive, multi-level and diversified region Open the pattern of cooperation and create new advantages in international cooperation and competition.
Expansion is also conducive to further ensuring the security and stability of the industrial chain supply chain. Among the four provinces and cities, Beijing has a strong drive for technological innovation, Hunan has a strong accumulation of equipment manufacturing, Anhui’s emerging industrial elements are relatively active, and Zhejiang’s digital economy is booming.
“The newly established four pilot free trade zones or expansion zones will strengthen the chain from the source through technological innovation, rely on the integrated innovation of the industrial chain to further stabilize the chain, and improve advancement, stability and the competitiveness of the industrial chain supply chain. Leading the high-quality development of the industry, “said Wang Shouwen.
It is worth noting that this plan gives the pilot free trade zone greater reform autonomy and a deep exploration of differentiation.
——The Beijing Pilot Free Zone will help build a globally influential technology innovation center, accelerate the creation of a pioneer zone for the expansion of the service industry and a pilot zone for the digital economy, and strive to build a High-level opening platform for the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
——The Hunan Pilot Free Trade Zone will build a world-class advanced manufacturing group, international trade and investment corridor linking the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a pioneer zone for deep economic and trade cooperation between China and Africa, and a new mountain for internal openness.
——Anhui Pilot Free Zone promotes the deep integration of technological innovation and the development of the real economy, accelerates the construction of sources of technological innovation, the agglomeration of advanced manufacturing industries and emerging strategic industries, promotes the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and forms a new inland opening mountainous area.
——Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone Expands Area to Build Oil & Gas Focused Bulk Commodity Resource Allocation Base, New International Trade Center, International Shipping and Logistics Center, Development Demonstration Zone of the digital economy and an advanced manufacturing group.
Wang Shouwen said that the plan fully considers the strategic positioning and requirements of the pilot free trade zone and presents distinctive and differentiated pilot tasks around trade in services, advanced manufacturing, technological innovation and the digital economy and other new fields. and new commercial formats. A new height reform and opening feature.
Faced with severe and complex domestic and international situations, the pilot free trade zone has again been expanded, demonstrating China’s determination to continue deepening reform and expanding openness.
From the construction of a more comprehensive market-oriented factor allocation system to the introduction of the “Master Plan for the Construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port”; since the reduction of import tariffs on some commodities, the active expansion of imports and the further reduction of the negative list of access to foreign investment … despite the impact of the epidemic, China has always adhered to the reform and opening up, and has accelerated the formation of new advantages in international cooperation and competition.
“This time, the central government has decided to establish a new batch of pilot free trade zones and strive to explore higher levels of independent openness in the pilot free trade zones, demonstrating the Chinese government’s firm determination to unwaveringly expand openness and build a new system for a higher level of open economy. ” Wang Shouwen said.
According to their analysis, the total use of foreign capital and imports and exports of the four provinces and cities accounted for about 20% of the country last year. The export-oriented economy has a relatively good foundation and rapid growth. The establishment of new pilot free trade zones or expansion zones in these four locations will help to explore the construction of a higher level open economic system under the new situation and will promote high quality economic development.
