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E-mail China.org.cn, April 3, 2024
China Arab TV:
Facing a complex and fast-changing international environment, how will Zhejiang, as an export-oriented province, respond to challenges and promote openness? Thank you.
Lu Shan:
Thank you for your question. Mr. Wang Hao just mentioned that Zhejiang's total import and export volume last year reached 4.9 trillion yuan, ranking at the forefront among provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in terms of contribution to national import and export growth. As you said, with Zhejiang's foreign trade dependence ratio surpassing 60%, the development of an open economy is of great significance to us. Moving forward, we will focus on promoting the "three further improvements," including improving our open economy, becoming a dual circulation strategic hub, and expanding our institutional opening-up system. We will actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, deeply implement the "No. 1 Opening-up Project," and accelerate Zhejiang's transition into a province with higher-level opening-up. I will report on three specific aspects:
First, we will promote institutional opening-up and improve the level of openness. We will support open platforms, such as the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone, to align with international high-standard economic and trade rules, steadily promote the institutional opening-up of rules, regulations, management, and standards, accelerate the formation of new mechanisms for trade and investment cooperation, and fully promote the construction of Ningbo Zhoushan Port into a world-class port to enhance its capacity for commodity resource allocation. We will support Yiwu city in deepening the comprehensive reform of international trade, making it easier for global buyers to purchase and sell products worldwide. It is necessary to innovate and develop digital trade and optimize the "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt" and "overseas warehouse + front warehouse + independent station" models to help more micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises open stores and sell goods globally.
In September this year, the third Global Digital Trade Expo will be held in Hangzhou. This expo was elevated to a national first-class exhibition last year and was also included in this year's government work report. We will further promote the expo as a national-level international professional exhibition under the theme of digital trade and go all out to host this grand event. Here, we sincerely invite businesspeople worldwide to attend the exhibition, discuss cooperation, promote common development, and share benefits.
Second, we will continue "bringing in" high-quality enterprises from around the world so they can share high-quality development opportunities in Zhejiang. We are committed to fostering a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, internationalized, and law-based. We implement a management system that combines pre-entry national treatment with the negative list, and by regularly hosting roundtable meetings for foreign-funded enterprises, we strive to help address production and operation difficulties, ensuring these companies have more confidence in their investments and development in China. We will advance the global investment promotion campaign of "invest in Zhejiang" and try our best to attract a number of large, high-quality and high-tech projects as well as foreign-funded enterprises that use unique and sophisticated technologies to produce novel and unique products. Last year, Saudi Aramco and Rongsheng Petrochemical Co. Ltd. in Zhejiang province achieved strategic cooperation. We sincerely hope more enterprises will choose Zhejiang as an important investment destination and take the "express train" of Zhejiang's high-quality development.
Third, we will continue "going global" to develop and expand the businesses of overseas Zhejiang residents. Zhejiang people have always been courageous pioneers, and currently, more than 2 million Zhejiang merchants are doing business worldwide. We will further steady progress and improve the quality of foreign trade by advancing the campaign of "tens of thousands of enterprises expanding the market to increase orders." We will motivate private enterprises to implement "pioneering actions," encourage them to make global plans, construct a number of overseas industrial parks with Zhejiang businesspeople as the main contributors, launch a series of "small but beautiful" projects such as Silk Road e-commerce, and build a number of multinational corporations deeply engaged in the international market. At the same time, we will deepen exchanges and cooperation with friendly provinces, states, and sister cities and enhance economic and trade exchanges, cultural communication, and mutual learning among civilizations on a wider scale.
That's all from me, thank you.
