Stabilize the basic market of foreign trade and foreign investment and promote the development of domestic consumption (authoritative interview)
In the first half of the year, affected by the spread of the global epidemic, international market demand and transnational investment fell sharply, and domestic market demand was affected to a certain extent. Overcoming unprecedented difficulties and challenges, my country’s foreign trade, foreign investment and consumption have delivered a good semi-annual report. Next, how will the Ministry of Commerce implement policies in terms of stabilizing foreign trade, stabilizing foreign investment, and promoting consumption? The reporter interviewed Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce.
●Foreign trade and foreign investment consumption stabilized and improved, better than expected
Reporter: In the first half of the year, in the face of the impact of the epidemic, what are the characteristics of my country's business operations such as foreign trade, foreign investment and consumption?
Zhong Shan: Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, and through joint efforts across the country, my country has achieved major strategic results in epidemic prevention and control, and economic development has shown a steady improvement. Foreign trade, foreign investment, and consumption have stabilized and improved, better than expected, and have made positive contributions to the steady recovery of the economy. Specifically in:
The decline in foreign trade has narrowed. In the first half of the year, the import and export of goods was 14.2 trillion yuan, down 3.2% year-on-year, and the rate of decline narrowed by 3.3 percentage points from the first quarter. my country's global market share has risen, and exports have performed better than major economies. The structure is further optimized. The export of high-quality, high-tech and high value-added products such as integrated circuits, notebook computers, and new energy vehicles has grown rapidly. The proportion of exports to countries along the “Belt and Road” increased by 0.6 percentage points to 30.6%. Private enterprises have become the "stabilizer" of foreign trade, and the proportion of exports increased by 3.2 percentage points to 53.9%, contributing 95% of the export stabilization. New business formats and new models have become new growth points. Cross-border e-commerce exports increased by 28.7%, and market procurement trade exports increased by 33.4%.
Foreign investment is basically stable. The use of foreign capital in the first half of the year was 472.2 billion yuan, a drop of 1.3%, and the rate of decline narrowed by 9.5 percentage points from the first quarter. The second quarter achieved positive growth. Large-scale foreign investment projects increased, with 320 large-scale projects over 100 million US dollars. Investment in the service industry grew rapidly, with its share increasing by 6.2 percentage points to 76.6%, of which foreign investment in the high-tech service industry increased by 19.2%. The role of the open platform is prominent. The online and offline investment promotion of national economic development zones has achieved remarkable results. The use of foreign capital in the pilot free trade zone maintained growth, with the proportion increasing by 2.6 percentage points to 17.1%.
Consumption is picking up gradually. In the first half of the year, the total retail sales of consumer goods was 17.2 trillion yuan, down 11.4%, and the rate of decline narrowed by 7.6 percentage points from the first quarter. During the epidemic prevention and control period, the supply of daily necessities across the country was sufficient and prices were basically stable. Commodity consumption is picking up month by month. The retail sales of commodities in June were close to the level of the same period last year, and the sales of ten categories of commodities, including home appliances and communication equipment, achieved positive growth. Online consumption has become a new bright spot. The online retail sales of goods was 4.3 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.3%. Service consumption has recovered. The decline of catering revenue narrowed by 11.5% from the first quarter, and the industry as a whole showed a recovery trend.
The achievements of China’s foreign trade, foreign investment, and consumption in the first half of the year have fully proved that the Party Central Committee’s judgment on the situation is completely correct. The overall planning and deployment of epidemic prevention and control and economic and social development are very timely, and the policy measures adopted are effective and effective. . In the second half of the year, the main task of national commercial work is to stabilize the basic market for foreign and foreign investment, promote the development of domestic consumption, and promote the domestic and international dual cycle.
●Work hard to stabilize the main body of foreign trade
Reporter: The WTO predicts that global trade in goods will drop by 13% to 32% this year. How to view the situation facing my country's foreign trade in the second half of the year? What measures will the Ministry of Commerce take to stabilize foreign trade?
Zhong Shan: In the second half of the year, the situation facing my country's foreign trade will become more complex and severe. The impact of the global economic downturn on demand will become more apparent, the supply chain of the industrial chain will be blocked, protectionism and anti-globalization will continue to rise, and foreign trade companies will still face great pressure to survive. We must work hard to stabilize the main body of foreign trade, stabilize the supply chain of the industrial chain, and stabilize the status of a global trading country.
One is to increase policy support. Promote the introduction and implementation of export tax rebates, foreign trade credits, export credit guarantees, export transfers to domestic sales and other policies to stabilize enterprises, so that policies can benefit more foreign trade enterprises, encourage enterprises to innovate and develop, and stimulate their vitality. According to changes in the situation, strengthen policy reserves and promote the introduction of new policy measures.
The second is to optimize the layout of the international market. Consolidate traditional markets, explore emerging markets, and deepen economic and trade cooperation along the “Belt and Road” initiative. Innovate the exhibition mode, integrate online and offline, successfully organize exhibitions such as the Canton Fair, and support enterprises to build overseas international marketing networks and overseas warehouses. Actively expand imports and successfully host the third China International Import Expo to meet the needs of domestic production and life and boost confidence in the global market.
The third is to develop new business models and new models. This year, we have accelerated the promotion of cross-border e-commerce, market procurement trade methods and other pilot projects, and the comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot area has been expanded from the original 59 to 105. We will vigorously support the development of these new trade formats and models, accelerate the implementation of the newly established e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, do a good job in expanding the market procurement trade method, and cultivate new momentum for foreign trade.
●Stabilize the stock of foreign capital and expand the increase in foreign capital
Reporter: The epidemic has had an impact on global multinational investment. What measures will the Ministry of Commerce take to stabilize foreign investment?
Zhong Shan: At present, the global multinational investment is shrinking sharply. Some countries encourage the return of industries, the competition of international investment has intensified, the pressure of my country's industry to transfer abroad is increasing, and the difficulty of using foreign capital has increased. At the same time, my country has a huge market of 1.4 billion people and a complete industrial supporting system, and the business environment is constantly improving. I believe that smart foreign businessmen will not abandon the Chinese market. In the second half of the year, the Ministry of Commerce will focus on stabilizing the stock of foreign capital and expanding the increase in foreign capital to maintain its status as a major foreign capital utilization country.
One is to further open up. The national version of the negative list of foreign investment access has been reduced from 40 to 33. We will work hard to implement the list, and at the same time promote the expansion of the scope of pilot openings in the service industry. Revise the catalog of industries that encourage foreign investment to encourage more foreign businessmen to invest in the central and western regions and old industrial bases in the Northeast.
The second is to build an open platform. Deepen the pilot free trade zone and actively carry out differentiated exploration. Give the pilot free trade zone greater reform autonomy, support the expansion of opening up and innovative development, and form more institutional innovations that can be replicated and promoted. Implement the overall plan for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port and issue a negative list for cross-border service trade.
The third is to optimize the business environment. Earnestly implement the "Foreign Investment Law" and supporting laws and regulations, and promulgate complaints by foreign-invested enterprises, protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign businessmen, protect intellectual property rights, and create a stable, fair and transparent business environment, so that foreign businessmen can rest assured, rest assured, and develop in China.
●Enhance the fundamental role of consumption in economic development
Reporter: At present, the consumer market continues to stabilize. How will the Ministry of Commerce expand domestic demand and promote consumption in the second half of the year?
Zhong Shan: At present, my country's epidemic prevention and control has achieved major strategic results, the restoration of production and life order has accelerated, the consumer confidence of residents has continued to increase, and the consumer market has continued to improve. We will work hard to innovate circulation and promote consumption to enhance the fundamental role of consumption in economic development.
One is to increase urban consumption. Promote the experience of the first batch of "National Demonstration Pedestrian Streets", do a good job in the transformation and upgrading of the second batch of pilot projects, and create a platform for urban consumption upgrading, a carrier for high-quality development, and a window for opening to the outside world. Accelerate the development of chain convenience stores and create a "15-minute convenient life circle".
The second is to expand rural consumption. Promote e-commerce into rural areas, expand e-commerce coverage, and accelerate the development of county-level e-commerce industrial parks. Promote the integration of resources such as postal services, supply and marketing, trade logistics, and express delivery, and improve the joint distribution system of county and village three-level logistics. Strengthen the construction of rural circulation infrastructure, accelerate the development of township commerce, and promote industrial products to the countryside and agricultural products to cities.
The third is to develop service consumption. Under the conditions of normalization of epidemic prevention and control, orderly promote the recovery and development and quality improvement of the catering and housekeeping service industries, and improve the housekeeping service credit information platform. Promote the in-depth integration of the Internet and various consumer formats to meet residents' life service needs.
●Do a good job in ensuring the supply of daily necessities under normal conditions for epidemic prevention and control
Reporter: During the epidemic prevention and control period, the national daily necessities market was generally stable. What is the main work done by the Ministry of Commerce in guaranteeing supply? In what areas will we work next?
Zhong Shan: Guaranteeing the supply of daily necessities for residents across the country is a matter of people's livelihood and winning the battle against the epidemic. We earnestly implemented the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions, strengthened horizontal collaboration and vertical linkage, and mainly carried out three aspects of work:
One is to protect key areas. Establish a nine-province joint guarantee and supply coordination mechanism to promptly help the supply of daily necessities in key areas and achieve efficient deployment. Organize Shandong, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hunan, Chongqing, Guangxi, Yunnan and other eight provinces to support Wuhan and Hubei, and transfer 106,000 tons of various materials. The Ministry of Commerce sent three groups of working groups to Wuhan to coordinate and supervise the scene. During the period when the Lihan Passage was closed, Wuhan's supply was much higher than the national average. After the outbreak of the clustered epidemic in the Xinfadi market in Beijing, we coordinated with neighboring provinces such as Hebei, Shandong and Henan to increase vegetable protection.
The second is to strengthen monitoring and early warning. Establish a liaison mechanism with local commercial authorities, start a daily report monitoring and abnormal situation reporting system, focus on 8 key commodities such as rice, noodles, oil, meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and convenience foods, and keep abreast of the market supply situation in various regions, so as to be aware of the situation. bottom.
The third is to strengthen national market coordination. Identify 500 key supply companies, find out the inventory of wholesalers, retailers, e-commerce, and manufacturing companies, and strengthen coordination and overall planning among all regions. Innovating business models and distribution models, launching community group purchases, vegetable packages, etc., to promote the opening of logistics and distribution jams. In conjunction with relevant departments, nearly 500,000 tons of pork from the central reserve was released.
During the epidemic prevention and control period, the supply of daily necessities in my country was generally sufficient, and prices were basically stable. This demonstrated the advantages of my country's socialist system and reflected my country's strong organizational and mobilization capabilities. In the next step, we will do a good job in ensuring the supply of daily necessities under the normalized conditions of epidemic prevention and control, pay close attention to the operation of the daily necessities market during the flood season, strengthen the guarantee of supply in areas with severe flooding, and protect the basic needs of the people.
Reporter Wang Ke Luo Shanshan