Stabilize the basic foreign trade market, how to do this year

  Author: reporter Zhang Yi Dong Bei

"Guangming Daily" 

  In 2020, my country's foreign trade and foreign trade have delivered a report card that exceeded expectations: the total import and export of goods was 32.2 trillion yuan, an increase of 1.9%, and the scale of foreign trade and international share reached record highs. It is the only major economy in the world to achieve positive trade growth. The actual use of foreign capital in my country has risen against the trend. In 2020, the actual use of foreign capital in non-financial sectors will increase by 4.5%, making it the world's largest foreign capital inflow country.

  Will this trend continue?

How to see the situation facing my country's foreign trade and foreign investment this year?

What are the hard measures to stabilize foreign trade?

At the press conference held by the Information Office of the State Council on February 24, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao introduced to the media about accelerating high-quality business development and building a new development pattern in services, and answered reporters’ questions.

Stabilize foreign trade and maintain policy continuity, stability and sustainability

  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development predicts that this year's global international direct investment (FDI) will drop by 5% to 10% on the basis of a 42% drop last year. The situation is grim.

At the same time, many countries are promoting measures to boost the economy. Globally, competition in the use of capital investment will definitely intensify, and competition among countries for investment will become increasingly fierce.

  "The new crown pneumonia epidemic is still uncertain, and the foreign trade situation this year is still severe and complicated. From the perspective of the supply chain and industrial chain, the factors affecting stability are still developing." Wang Wentao introduced, but we also see some opportunities and will firmly stabilize foreign trade. For the basic market of foreign investment, focus on the implementation of the preferential import and export plan, the trade industry integration plan and the trade smooth plan.

  Solve the problems of poor international logistics and high logistics costs; consolidate and improve export credit insurance, and do a good job in the release of foreign trade credit; support foreign trade enterprises to stabilize their posts and expand their posts... The Ministry of Commerce will maintain policy continuity with local and relevant departments. Stability and sustainability.

  According to Wang Wentao, in terms of ensuring the stability and smooth flow of the foreign trade industry chain and supply chain, efforts will be made to integrate the development of the trade industry, to newly identify a batch of foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, and to cultivate a batch of processing trade industrial parks.

At the same time, a number of national import trade promotion innovation demonstration zones will be built to expand the scale of imports and drive related industries to improve quality and efficiency.

  In 2021, my country will successfully host the 4th China International Import Expo and the 2021 Service Trade Fair, and also make good use of important exhibition platforms such as the Canton Fair and the first Consumer Fair to contribute to stable orders and market expansion for enterprises.

At the same time, according to the changing situation of the epidemic, online and offline efforts will be made to strengthen the construction of the international marketing system, especially the upgrade and development of overseas warehouses, and promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade.

Use foreign capital to stabilize total volume, optimize structure, and improve quality

  "We will follow the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council to focus on promoting the use of foreign capital to stabilize the total volume, optimize the structure, and improve the quality." Wang Wentao said, first, continue to unswervingly expand opening up, second, actively use some open platforms, and thirdly Create a better business environment.

  From the perspective of the commercial sector, this year we will promote lowering the threshold for foreign investment, and we must implement the three negative lists of the national version, the free trade pilot zone version and the free trade port version in 2020.

At the same time, we must implement the new version of the catalogue of industries that encourage foreign investment. The new version adds 127 items to create more investment opportunities.

  Wang Wentao told reporters that this year, we will do a good job in the construction of the free trade zone port platform and the national economic development zone platform, which is an important platform and carrier for attracting foreign investment.

We will build a high-quality free trade zone port, improve the layout of the free trade pilot zone, implement the overall plan for the construction of the Hainan free trade port, and implement policies and measures for trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.

At present, my country has 217 national-level economic development zones. We must further expand the opening up, promote the transformation and upgrading of economic development zones, build a new highland of reform and opening up, and better serve the new development pattern.

It will also promote comprehensive pilot demonstrations for expanding the opening up of the service industry, and guide pilot areas to carry out advanced trials and differentiated explorations.

  This year, the Ministry of Commerce will implement the Foreign Investment Law and its implementation regulations, carry out the “reform, reform and abolish” supporting regulations, promote the reform of “delegation, management, and service”, implement the measures for foreign investment complaints, and increase the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors. Promote the marketization, legalization and internationalization of the business environment, so that foreign investment in China has a better environment, better development, and better harvest.

(Reporter Zhang Yi and Dong Bei)