Editor’s note: since the beginning of this year, the international environment has been complex and severe, the epidemic situation in China has spread in many places, the uncertainty of China’s economic development has increased, and stabilizing growth, employment and prices are facing new challenges. Since today, the financial associated press has launched a series of interviews with think tanks to provide advice and suggestions on how to stabilize the economy and achieve the expected goal of economic development throughout the year.
On the evening of May 18, the Conference Celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of CCPIT and the global trade and investment promotion summit with the theme of “gathering forces for trade promotion and jointly promoting opening-up and development” was held.
Since the establishment of the summit, the president has played an important role in promoting China’s economic and trade ties and promoting international trade. In addition, Xi Jinping also reiterated that China’s determination to expand high-level opening-up will not change, and the door of China’s opening-up will only open wider and wider.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the China Council for the promotion of international trade (CCPIT). Over the past 70 years, CCPIT has made important contributions in tightening the ties of cooperation between Chinese and foreign enterprises, enhancing international economic and trade exchanges, and promoting the construction of an open world economy.
Standing at a new historical starting point, what will CCPIT do in the field of trade and investment promotion, promoting high-level opening-up and building a new development pattern in the future?
Chen Jian’an, member of the Party group and vice president of CCPIT, said in an exclusive interview with the financial associated press that in the future, in accordance with the clear requirements of Xi Jinping General Secretary for trade promotion, we will continue to bridge the gap between China and foreign trade cooperation, strengthen services for key foreign-funded enterprises and projects, comprehensively track and solve the difficult demands of foreign-funded enterprises, and provide a better environment and better services for the development of foreign-funded enterprises in China, Help China always become a fertile land for foreign investment.
strengthen services for key foreign-funded enterprises and projects
CFA: foreign capital has played a unique and important role in China’s economic development. Could you tell us what the CCPIT has done in utilizing foreign capital in recent years
Chen Jian’an: China has always been an important destination for foreign investment. It has a large-scale Chinese market. It has strong comprehensive advantages in infrastructure, human resources and industrial supporting facilities. The economy is stable and good for a long time. Foreign funded enterprises are generally optimistic about the Chinese market and long-term development prospects in China.
In recent years, China has issued a series of opening-up policies and measures, fully implemented the foreign investment law and its implementation regulations, deeply implemented the negative list of foreign investment access, continuously optimized the investment environment, effectively stabilized the expectation and confidence of foreign investment, and maintained steady growth in the utilization of foreign investment. In 2021, China’s absorption of foreign capital exceeded 1 trillion yuan for the first time. In the first four months of this year, China’s actual use of foreign capital increased by 20.5% year-on-year, achieving double-digit growth on the basis of last year’s high base. Among them, the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries increased by 45.6%, and the quality of foreign capital utilization continued to improve.
CCPIT gave full play to its unique role and actively carried out the work of stabilizing foreign investment. Continuously organize high-level video dialogue meetings with business leaders in Europe, the United States and the UK, and timely organize and hold symposiums for foreign-funded enterprises to reflect the demands of foreign-funded enterprises and strive to promote solutions. Strengthen the promotion of foreign investment, build an “investment in China” platform, organize “local travel” activities of foreign business associations and foreign-funded enterprises in China, strengthen one-to-one services for key foreign-funded enterprises and projects, and promote the construction of large foreign-funded projects such as Starbucks. Promote the creation of a market-oriented, legal and international business environment, hold a series of government enterprise dialogue meetings, establish a business environment monitoring system, and issue a business environment report.
On May 18, Xi Jinping General Secretary delivered a video speech at the 70th Anniversary Conference of CCPIT and the global trade and investment promotion summit, highly affirming the important role of CCPIT in tightening the interest ties between Chinese and foreign enterprises, promoting international economic and trade exchanges and promoting the development of national relations.
In accordance with the clear requirements of Xi Jinping General Secretary for trade promotion, we will continue to bridge the gap between China and foreign economic and trade cooperation, strengthen services for key foreign-funded enterprises and projects, comprehensively track, understand and promote the resolution of the difficult demands of foreign-funded enterprises, provide a better environment and better services for the development of foreign-funded enterprises in China, and help China always become a fertile land for foreign investment.
financial Associated Press: the impact of covid-19 epidemic on the global economy has prompted new changes in the global economic and trade pattern. What role has CCPIT played in “stabilizing foreign trade”
Chen Jian’an: in recent years, China’s foreign trade has developed rapidly and become the largest country in the world’s trade in goods. Its position has been continuously consolidated and its structure has been continuously optimized. Since the beginning of this year, in the face of the complex economic situation outside China, China’s foreign trade has shown strong resilience and achieved a stable and steady start.
CCPIT earnestly implemented the deployment of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, gave full play to the advantages of trade promotion, strengthened the sense of service, and actively helped foreign trade enterprises to alleviate difficulties. First, build a trade promotion platform. Focus on industry development and serve the industry, establish more brand exhibitions, help enterprises stabilize orders and expand the market, and make contributions to stabilizing the macro-economic market. Second, promote the high-quality implementation of free trade agreements such as RCEP. 59 free trade agreement service centers were established, a high-level teaching staff was established and enterprise training was carried out. The preferential certificate of origin benefits increased by 21.9%, 23% and 41.5% respectively in the past three years. 31700 RCEP certificates of origin were issued in the first four months of this year, involving an amount of US $1.55 billion. Third, strengthen commercial legal services. Provide services such as proof of force majeure, arbitration and mediation, establish a comprehensive legal support platform for enterprises’ cross-border trade and investment (Trade Law link), answer 230000 enterprise inquiries, and carry out investigation of enterprises’ international business risks. Fourth, strengthen investigation and research and offer suggestions. Establish a rapid investigation mechanism to track the impact of the epidemic in China and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, timely understand the demands of enterprises and put forward targeted policy suggestions.
At present, affected by multiple factors such as the epidemic, the global economic recovery is slow, and the pressure on stabilizing foreign trade has increased significantly. The CCPIT has conducted some research on the operation of foreign trade enterprises through enterprise seminars and other means. Enterprises generally reflect that they are facing problems such as rising raw material prices, rising production costs, tight logistics capacity, shortage of chips and other important raw materials.
In view of the complex and severe foreign trade situation and the difficulties faced by foreign trade enterprises, we will fully mobilize the strength of the national trade promotion system, actively give full play to the advantages of connecting government and enterprises, connecting internal and external and connecting supply and demand, closely track and judge the foreign trade situation, widely and deeply carry out enterprise research, take multiple measures to help enterprises cope with difficulties and challenges, promote the stability and smoothness of the industrial chain and supply chain, and comprehensively strengthen RCEP publicity, promotion and professional training, Improve the level of trade facilitation and contribute to the stability and quality of foreign trade.
closely follow the development trend of new forms and models of foreign trade
financial Associated Press: in recent years, there have been some new changes in the global trade pattern, with the rise of anti globalization, unilateralism and protectionism.
In this context, what challenges has CCPIT encountered in its participation in trade and investment? Are there any new changes in job responsibilities in the future
Chen Jian’an: at present, the century changing situation is intertwined with the century epidemic, economic globalization is encountering a countercurrent, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change, geopolitical contradictions have intensified, industrial chain supply chain is disordered, commodity prices hover high, energy supply is tightening day by day, and the risk of global compound inflation has increased.
In the face of severe global challenges, Xi Jinping General Secretary proposed to the international community and the business community at the 70th Anniversary Conference of the China Council for the promotion of international trade and the global trade and investment promotion summit China’s initiatives such as concentrating on overcoming the epidemic, revitalizing trade and investment, adhering to innovation driven and improving global governance, firmly reaffirmed China’s determination to expand high-level opening-up, and made it clear that China would provide more market opportunities, investment opportunities Growth opportunities have pointed out the direction for the world economy to get out of the shadow and move towards a better future at an early date.
We will earnestly implement the spirit of Xi Jinping general secretary’s important speech, deeply understand the world vision and the concept of a community with a shared future for mankind contained in the speech, seize historical opportunities, show greater achievements, organize a network of service enterprises, expand the circle of international friends, give a stronger voice to China’s business community in response to protectionist and unilateralist practices, and actively promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, Jointly promote the solution of the current problems facing the world economy and international trade and investment.
financial Associated Press: at present, China has gradually become an important birthplace of global digital economy innovation. Then, how can CCPIT give full play to the advantages of China’s digital economy in promoting trade and investment
Chen Jian’an: in recent years, the Internet, big data and other technologies have accelerated innovation. The digital economy has become a key force in restructuring global factor resources, reshaping the global economic structure and changing the global competition pattern, providing a strong driving force for the sustained and healthy development of economy and society.
Digital economy and digital technology have played an active role in the innovation and development of China’s foreign trade. New business forms and new models such as cross-border e-commerce have become the living force of foreign trade development and the new driving force of transformation and upgrading. Since the general office of the State Council issued the “opinions on accelerating the development of new forms and models of foreign trade” in July last year, China has approved the establishment of 27 new cross-border e-commerce comprehensive test zones, strengthened support for the development of overseas warehouses and market procurement, and further developed and expanded the new forms and models of foreign trade.
China Council for the promotion of international trade (CCPIT) closely follows the development trend of new business forms and models of foreign trade, strengthens the interpretation of cross-border e-commerce policies, resource docking, business training and intellectual property protection, implements China’s overseas promotion plan of cross-border e-commerce, explores the integrated service mode of “online exhibition + cross-border e-commerce”, and supports local CCPIT to participate in the construction of comprehensive pilot areas of cross-border e-commerce. At the same time, we continue to improve the digital, networked and intelligent level of our work, create platforms such as “trade promotion cloud Exhibition” and “investment in China”, hold a series of international trade digital exhibitions, and promote the Wuxi Online Offline Communication Information Technology Co.Ltd(300959) integration of exhibitions.
the world presents a superimposed situation of reshaping competitive advantage, rebuilding international rules and restructuring the power pattern
CFA: at present, the global industrial chain is being reconstructed and the international economic and trade rules are also being reshaped. How can CCPIT participate in the formulation of rules in new fields such as “green and low carbon”? How to connect with international high standard economic and trade rules at a high level and deeply integrate, adapt to and even lead the changes of global economic and trade rules
Chen Jian’an: today’s world is in a period of great development, change and adjustment. The trend of anti globalization is intensifying, and the dispute over the dominance of global governance and international rule making is becoming increasingly fierce. On the whole, the world presents a superposition of reshaping competitive advantage, rebuilding international rules and restructuring the power pattern.
As an important force promoting world economic growth, China has gradually integrated into the global economic governance system and become an important promoter of the reform of the global governance system. In response to the new situation and new requirements, the CCPIT organized the business community to participate constructively in the reform of the global economic governance system and strive for a better external environment for China’s economic development.
In terms of participating in the work of multilateral platforms, we organized enterprises to deeply participate in the business activities of G20, APEC, BRICs and other multilateral mechanisms, deeply participate in the discussion of topics, actively express concerns and demands, put forward a series of Chinese initiatives, and gather the consensus of international business cooperation. In terms of participation in the work of international organizations, we put forward suggestions on promoting the reform of the world trade organization, fully connected with the work of the International Chamber of Commerce and the International Exhibition Bureau, became a long-term observer of the world intellectual property organization, an observer of the United Nations Commission on Trade Law and a comprehensive observer of UNCTAD, recommended 193 experts to work in international organizations, and actively participated in the formulation of rules in the fields of trade and investment, digital economy, green and low carbon.
Through unremitting efforts, China’s business community has changed from a follower of international rule making to a participant and contributor, playing an increasingly important role in promoting the reform of the global economic governance system and the recovery of the world economy.
In the next step, we will adhere to true multilateralism, practice the global governance concept of consultation, joint construction and sharing, lead the reform of the global governance system with the concept of fairness and justice, continue to work on multilateral and regional platforms, enhance our participation and influence in international organizations, more actively participate in the formulation of international rules and standards, and contribute more Chinese wisdom to safeguarding free trade and strengthening open cooperation, Promote the development of a more equitable global governance system.
