Reporter Wang Lijuan.
What to do next year to stabilize foreign trade and foreign investment?The recent economic work conference made arrangements. In terms of expanding high-level opening up, the meeting proposed to accelerate the cultivation of new momentum for foreign trade and consolidate the basic market of foreign trade and foreign investment. Experts interviewed by the China Economic Times reporter believe that in view of the complex and severe external situation, the meeting put forward a number of specific and operable measures, which means that no matter how the external situation changes, China will always adhere to a high level of opening up, promote reform and development with opening up, and make better use of domestic and international markets and resources.
Accelerate the cultivation of new drivers to cope with new trends.
In recent months, China's goods have shown a steady upward momentum, positive factors for the development of foreign trade have been accumulating, and the trend of stabilization has continued to consolidate. For next year's external environment, the first economic work conference judged that "complexity, severity, and uncertainty are rising", and required "accelerating the cultivation of new momentum for foreign trade and consolidating the basic market of foreign trade and foreign investment".
* The specific requirements of the Economic Work Conference for expanding high-level opening up to the outside world are very pertinent and forward-looking. Shi Huimin, a professor at the School of Economics of Chinese University and a researcher at the National Institute of Development and Strategy of Chinese University, said in an interview with a reporter from the China Economic Times that to accelerate the cultivation of new momentum for foreign trade, we must first judge and identify the new trends and new advantages of China's foreign trade from a strategic and overall perspective, increase efforts to explore areas with high development potential and high added value, and optimize the structure, especially in the fields of service and digital.
**Zhao Fujun, director and researcher of the Comprehensive Research Office of the Foreign Economic Research Department of the Development Research Center, said in an interview with a reporter from the China Economic Times that to accelerate the cultivation of new momentum for foreign trade, we should focus on building the following five new momentum: First, continue to steadily promote the opening up of rules, regulations, management, standards and other institutions, accelerate the integration of domestic and foreign trade, promote the same line, same standard and same quality of domestic and foreign trade products, and create a new momentum to promote the development of foreign trade with high-level opening-up;The second is to take the domestic cycle as the chassis to consolidate the foundation for the development of foreign trade and promote the new momentum of foreign trade developmentThe third is to accelerate the development of digital and cross-border e-commerce exports, and continuously cultivate new formats, new models and new momentum of foreign tradeFourth, we will improve the level of opening up and development of the eastern coastal areas, promote the high-level coordinated opening up of the Yangtze River Delta region, improve the level of open development in the central and western regions and the northeast region, and create a new driving force for promoting the development of foreign trade through regional opening-upFifth, we should do a good job in supporting the implementation of the eight high-quality Belt and Road Initiatives, and create new momentum for international cooperation to promote the development of foreign trade.
Affected by multiple factors, the actual use of foreign capital in the country has fluctuated to a certain extent since the beginning of this year, but the current scale of investment is still at a historical high. How to do a good job in stabilizing foreign investment next year?A number of concrete measures were proposed.
**SASAC research center researcher Hu Chi said in an interview with the China Economic Times reporter that foreign trade and foreign investment are interrelated, foreign-funded enterprises have made great contributions to China's exports, the meeting proposed to consolidate the basic plate of foreign trade and foreign investment, and also proposed to "effectively open up the foreign personnel to China for business, study and Xi, tourism blockage", and last year's proposal to "provide maximum convenience for foreign businessmen to engage in investment negotiations in China" compared with the characteristics of the policy is more and more practical, more and more specific and easy to operate.
*Zhang Xiaotao, dean of the School of International Economics and ** of the University of Finance and Economics, said in an interview with the China Economic Times that the current attraction and utilization of foreign capital is facing new challenges, such as the increasingly fierce competition among countries to attract foreign investment, the rise of multinational investors' risk diversification, China's comparative advantages and changes in the market environment.
Zhang Xiaotao believes that to improve the level of utilization of foreign capital next year, first, it is necessary to expand the increment of foreign investment and transform the opening policy into real foreign-funded projects as soon as possible. The second is to strengthen investment services in terms of stabilizing stocks. Third, while implementing the supporting policies of the catalogue of industries that encourage foreign investment, we should support the innovative development of foreign investment, encourage foreign investment to set up R&D centers in China, and deepen scientific and technological openness and cooperation.
Expand intermediate products** to the middle and high end of the value chain.
The meeting also proposed to expand the export of intermediate goods, services, digital and cross-border e-commerce.
Intermediate products are the products that cooperate most closely with the international industrial chain and the first chain. China has become the largest country in the middle of the world, why should the meeting emphasize the "expansion of the middle goods".
In the face of the complex domestic and international situation, the policy adjustment space and direction of the scale and product structure of intermediate products are the aspects that need to be focused on at present. Zhang Xiaotao said that compared with the final product, in addition to trading as a commodity, intermediate goods are also the carrier of knowledge and technology, and the high-quality development of intermediate products will help promote China to move towards the middle and high end of the value chain, and it is also the key to China's transformation from a large country to a strong country.
Many of China's intermediate goods are based on the local needs of foreign-invested enterprises. Shi Huimin said that on the basis of consolidating the fundamentals of foreign trade, in view of the new trend of Chinese enterprises "going out" and accelerating foreign investment in recent years, the meeting required the expansion of intermediate products. The expansion of intermediate products can effectively realize the linkage of domestic and international markets, and help Chinese enterprises to upgrade their industries and climb the value chain. ”
At present, service has become an important force to promote the growth of foreign trade, build a new development pattern, and cultivate new advantages in international cooperation and competition. In Zhang Xiaotao's view, there are two main considerations for attaching importance to services: one is to actively participate, formulate and sign more high-standard free zone agreements and regional agreements, and improve China's voice and influence in the field of opening up and service in the service industryPromote international cooperation in emerging fields such as digital**. The second is to build the "Belt and Road" with high quality and explore new models of international cooperation in the service industry. For example, the opening of financial services with the "Belt and Road" countries will increase the proportion of RMB in international settlementPromote mutual investment in health care services, Internet information services, cultural tourism services, digital services and other industries among the Belt and Road countries.
There are many highlights of the specific measures proposed at this meeting. Zhao Fujun believes that the meeting also actively responded to the concerns of foreign-funded enterprises, and proposed to seriously solve the problems of cross-border data flow and equal participation in procurement, and continue to create a market-oriented, law-based, and international first-class business environment. At the same time, in view of the demands of foreign-funded enterprises and the difficulties faced by the current development of services, we will effectively break through the blockages of foreign personnel coming to China for business, study, Xi and tourism.
The measures put forward at the meeting are not only closely related to the current situation of economic development, but also very instructive, and the operation is more clear. Hu Chi believes that, for example, in terms of digital **, it is proposed to solve the cross-border flow of data and develop the digital economy. "These all reflect that the policy measures are becoming more and more practical and easy to operate after they are implemented;Not only does it have a top-level design, but it also provides a roadmap that extends the policy to the operational level. ”