Xi says China will only become more and more open

BEIJING - Xi Jinping said Wednesday that China will not close its door to the world, and it will only become more and more open.

Xi made the remarks in a report to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Great Hall of the People in central Beijing.

"Openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one behind," Xi told more than 2,200 delegates.

He stressed the importance of both "bringing in" and "going global," and called upon the country to pursue the Belt and Road Initiative as a priority.

"With these efforts, we hope to make new ground in opening China further through links running eastward and westward, across land and over sea," he said.

On foreign firms's investment in China, Xi said China will significantly ease market access, further open service sectors, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors.

"We will implement the system of pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list across the board," he said.

All businesses registered in China will be treated equally, he said.

Xi called for expanding foreign trade, developing new models and new forms of trade, and turning China into a trader of quality.

As part of the efforts to improve the balance in opening China's different regions, China will open the western region wider, Xi said.

He also called for developing new ways of making outbound investments, promoting international cooperation on production capacity, forming globally-oriented networks of trade, investment and financing, production, and services, and building up strengths for international economic cooperation and competition.

On economic globalization, Xi called upon all countries to "stick together through thick and thin."

He called for more efforts to promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and make economic globalization "more open, inclusive, and balanced so that its benefits are shared by all."