Lin Jian, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson/MFA PRC
Openness makes China's super-sized market a strong magnet in global trade, and turns Chinese modernization into new opportunities for the world development, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
The 2024 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) was held in Beijing from September 12 to 16. World leading companies as well as SMEs exhibited their latest outcomes, technologies and applications at CIFTIS and explored cooperation with potential partners.
Lin explained that it has been 12 years since CIFTIS was launched in 2012. Over the past decade and more, CIFTIS has attracted more than 900,000 exhibitors and audiences from 197 countries and regions. In the same period of time, China's trade in services grew at an annual rate of 6.2 percent, higher than the global average. As President Xi Jinping noted in his congratulatory letter, CIFTIS is a vivid portrayal of the high-quality development of China's service industry and service trade, making positive contributions to the building of an open world economy.
CIFTIS is an epitome of China's commitment to high-standard opening up, Lin said.
On the one hand, China has opened its door wider to the world. China has set up 22 Pilot Free Trade Zones, established the Hainan Free Trade Port, and worked vigorously for the signing and entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. On the other hand, China has eased access for foreign businesses. China has cut short the negative list for foreign investment several times, and worked to eliminate all restrictions on foreign investment in the manufacturing sector. China has also hosted a number of fairs, including the China International Import Expo, the Canton Fair, the China International Consumer Products Expo, and the China International Supply Chain Expo, contributing to global development through Chinese modernization.?
Lin stressed that since the founding of New China 75 years ago, especially the reform and opening up, China has explored paths of opening up to the wider world and actively engaged in international trade and economic cooperation. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has been pursuing a more proactive strategy of opening up and working to build an open world economy. The third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China this year spelled out in detail the next steps in improving the institutions and mechanisms for high-standard opening up. China stands ready to continue working with other countries to ride on economic globalization, share opportunities, explore cooperation and promote development through opening up, and contribute our part to global modernization. (By Ma Ziqian/China Youth Daily)
