Original title: Consolidate the momentum of foreign trade to stabilize and improve.
At present, the world economic recovery is sluggish, and there are many unstable, uncertain and unpredictable factors in the international market. Judging from the data of the whole year of 2023, the scale of China's import and export has increased quarter by quarter; Cross-border e-commerce import and export 238 trillion yuan, an increase of 156%；The export of electric manned vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar cells exceeded the trillion yuan mark for the first time; The number of foreign trade operators with import and export records exceeded 600,000 for the first time.
A series of supportive policy measures and related domestic reforms are the internal reasons for the positive improvement of foreign trade. In order to effectively promote the stable scale and optimal structure of foreign trade, China has introduced a number of foreign trade support policies and measures, and encouraged all localities to improve supporting policies according to local conditions and enhance policy synergies. In order to reduce the cost and burden of foreign trade enterprises, a number of convenient measures have been introduced to speed up the progress of export tax rebates and optimize export tax rebate services, which have greatly reduced the normal processing time of export tax rebates and continuously optimized and simplified the process; Extend and optimize preferential tax policies, including extending the VAT reduction and exemption policy for small-scale taxpayers until the end of 2027; Focusing on the key industrial chain of the manufacturing industry, financial institutions are encouraged to provide targeted and diversified financial support measures based on the characteristics of the industrial chain; Wait a minute. At the same time, we will make every effort to create a market-oriented, law-based, and international first-class port business environment, promote the digital transformation of ports, and continuously improve the facilitation of cross-border logistics.
Promoting international economic cooperation and vigorously expanding emerging markets are the external reasons for the positive improvement of foreign trade. China continues to strengthen cooperation with partners in the field of rules and standards, and has signed 21 free trade agreements with 28 countries and regions, 107 standardization cooperation agreements with 65 national standardization agencies and international organizations, and double taxation avoidance agreements with 112 countries and regions. China has also promoted the construction of the international logistics chain system, accelerated the construction of the "two along the ten corridors" international logistics channel, promoted the development of various international logistics and transportation modes, and expanded and extended the international logistics service network. At present, the foreign trade throughput of the country's ports has grown well, the volume of international air cargo and mail has grown steadily, the China-Europe freight train has remained stable and smooth, and the cargo capacity of major land ports has continued to improve.
The development of new forms and new models of foreign trade and the best promotion platform are important supports for the positive improvement of foreign trade. Relying on the country's 165 cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zones, combined with the industrial endowment and location advantages of various places, China vigorously develops "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt", promotes the construction of online comprehensive service platforms, expands the scope of cross-border e-commerce retail export goods and cross-border e-commerce online shopping bonded retail import goods cross-customs area return test, and gradually solves the problem of "difficult returns" of cross-border e-commerce enterprises, and better promotes China's foreign trade enterprises to enter the international market, and cross-border e-commerce has gradually become an important way for China's foreign trade enterprises to obtain orders. Accelerate the comprehensive reform of CBZs, and introduce 23 comprehensive reform measures to promote the high-quality development of CBZs, so as to further release the vitality of opening-up. Continuously improve the layout of the free pilot zone, form a pattern of reform, opening up and innovation covering the east, west, south, north and middle, and coordinate the coastal, inland and border areas, cultivate a number of internationally competitive industrial clusters, and strengthen the new momentum of foreign trade development.
In 2024, the world economic recovery will still face huge challenges, and the external environment for China's foreign trade development will still be complex and severe. In order to further do a good job in promoting stability and improving the quality of foreign trade, and continue to play the supporting role of import and export in the domestic economy, multiple measures should be taken at the same time to consolidate the momentum of foreign trade recovery.
On the one hand, we should closely track the implementation of the implemented support policies and measures, gain an in-depth understanding of the demands and new problems encountered by enterprises and local governments, predict the risks and challenges that may be faced in the later stage, strengthen the reserve of policies and measures to stabilize foreign trade, and introduce new support policies and measures in a timely manner. Deepen cooperation with partners, promote cooperation in the fields of safety and convenience, inspection and quarantine, reduce obstacles, and accelerate the upgrading of multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms with partners, based on neighboring countries and regions, accelerate the implementation of the free zone strategy, and focus on promoting the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 30 version of the negotiation to form a global network of high-standard free zones.
On the other hand, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will be implemented with high quality, and the role of free pilot zones and free ports as comprehensive test platforms for reform and opening up will be fully utilized. Focusing on goods, services, temporary entry of business personnel, digital, business environment, risk prevention and control, etc., we will increase the intensity of pilots, expand the scope of pilots, connect with high-standard international economic and trade rules, and accelerate institutional opening-up. We will do a good job in organizing key exhibitions such as the CIIE, the Canton Fair, and the Consumer Expo, and encourage foreign trade enterprises to expand their business through new formats and models such as cross-border e-commerce, explore the international market, and create new growth points for foreign trade. (Wei Hao).
*:Economy**.