Beijing pledges further opening-up measures

Senior publicity official says country always ready to unite, cooperate with others

China is ready to expand policy coordination and strategic alignment with other countries, create further opening-up and tap into new potential for cooperation in peaceful and stable global development, officials and scholars said on Friday.

During a forum themed "China's Modernization and New Opportunity for the World", a parallel session under the fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum in Shanghai, Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that China is always ready to unite and cooperate with other countries, and work together to share opportunities. The country is ready to play the role of building world peace, contributing to global development and safeguarding the international order.

Noting that China has become a main stabilizer for global growth, Huang said China will seek common prosperity while advancing high-quality development, and resolutely resolve regional, urban-rural and income distribution gaps. It will also fulfill its responsibilities as a major country and push for greater international cooperation in poverty reduction, he added.

China is also pleased to extend culture communications and exchanges while advancing growth, Huang said. The country will be open minded toward people around the globe, and achieve common development in a stable, peaceful environment.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, executive vice-chairman and CEO of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, stressed the significance of innovation and digitization in pushing forward China's high-level opening-up and modernization.

"China is the world's second-largest country for digital economy, which empowers its manufacturing, investment, consumption and trade in an all-around way. China will commit itself to helping developing countries eliminate digital divides, and actively participate in the global digital economy governance," Zhang said.

Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, highlighted China's remarkable success in suppressing the pandemic and developing vaccines, not only for Chinese people but for people around the world.

He said he has confidence that China will continue its remarkable leadership and peaceful cooperation in the post-pandemic era. As China succeeded in bringing more than 800 million people out of poverty, he said it's an inspiration for all developing countries－for example, in Africa and other areas－to escape from extreme poverty in the coming years.

In a recent, separate discussion about China's new development paradigm and opening-up, Fan Hengshan, a regional development economist and former deputy secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed out that China's opening-up is showing new distinctive features to further embrace globalization while sustaining its own growth amid shifting global dynamics.

"One key feature for the current round of opening-up is that China is pushing harder for institutional opening-up. For example, it is now working actively in formulating regulatory frameworks aligned with advanced international standards, while interconnectivity between domestic and overseas capital market are well enhanced," Fan said, adding that China has been sparing no efforts in enhancing its business climate through institutional innovations.