China News Agency, Beijing, March 5th: The government work report reveals the further layout of China's opening up
China News Agency reporter Li Xiaoyu
As expected by all walks of life, the Chinese government work report released on the 5th expounded a series of deployments for this year's expansion of opening up in special pen and ink.
Analysts here believe that with the acceleration of institutional opening up, China is expected to make greater breakthroughs in absorbing foreign investment this year.
Increase the opening up of the modern service industry
The government work report proposes to expand market access and increase the opening up of the modern service industry.
At present, China's manufacturing industry has basically achieved all-round opening up, but the degree of opening up in the service industry is still relatively insufficient.
The service industry is a popular choice for foreign companies to invest in.
According to official data, in January this year, the actual use of foreign capital in China's high-tech service industry increased by 59.6% year-on-year, far exceeding the overall growth rate of China's actual use of foreign capital in the same period.
Zhao Ping, deputy director of the Research Institute of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency that accelerating opening up in areas such as the service industry with strong foreign investment willingness can not only meet the needs of investors, but also help to absorb foreign investment and stabilize growth.
It is expected that China will further open up in the fields of telecommunications, culture, and medical care, and trade in services will also accelerate development.
According to Wei Liqun, former director of the Research Office of the State Council of China, expanding the opening up of the service industry means accelerating the breaking of market monopoly and administrative monopoly in the service industry, and strengthening the institutional arrangements for free and convenient trade in services.
Implement national treatment for foreign companies
The government work report clearly stated that "the national treatment of foreign-funded enterprises should be well implemented", and it is required to do a good job in the service work of foreign-funded enterprises and promote the construction of landmark foreign-funded projects.
As Yang Changyong, a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Economics of the China Academy of Macroeconomics, said, an important trend in the evolution of the new round of international economic and trade rules is to advance from "on the border" to "behind the border".
Under such circumstances, pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list alone is not enough to form a lasting attraction to global investors, and the focus must be shifted to ensuring national treatment for foreign companies.
Prior to this, Chinese officials have repeatedly stated on different occasions that they must ensure that foreign-funded enterprises apply various policies equally and earnestly enjoy national treatment.
It is expected that in the future, China will adopt more practical and effective policies and measures to ensure that foreign companies participate in government procurement, bidding, and standard setting on an equal footing, and will also increase the protection of intellectual property rights and the legal rights and interests of foreign investment, so that foreign companies can truly feel that they are treated equally. ".
Actively promote joining CPTPP
According to the government work report, we will actively promote the joining of high-standard economic and trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), actively compare relevant rules, regulations, management, and standards, and steadily expand institutional opening-up.
China's Ministry of Commerce recently revealed that China has conducted extensive contacts and exchanges with CPTPP members at different levels.
Su Qingyi, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that many CPTPP rules are becoming the future development trend of international economic and trade rules.
If China can join the CPTPP, it will not only gain considerable economic benefits, but also help deepen domestic reforms, expand institutional opening, and gain the initiative in the process of reshaping global trade rules.
In addition to CPTPP, another high-standard economic and trade agreement, the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), is expected to become the focus of China's efforts in the future.
At present, the negotiations on China's accession to DEPA have officially started.
Wang Shouwen, International Trade Negotiator and Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Commerce of China, said that a series of arrangements have been made in this regard, including ministerial-level negotiations and bureau-level negotiation arrangements, to strive for China to take substantive steps in joining DEPA.
According to official data, China's actual use of foreign capital in 2022 will increase by 6.3% year-on-year, and the scale will hit a record high.
Analysts believe that the deployment of greater efforts to attract and utilize foreign capital in this year's government work report clearly demonstrates the determination to promote institutional opening-up.
As China builds an institutional open framework that is more in line with the development trend of the times, the situation of China's absorption of foreign investment is better than last year.
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