ZHOU Hanmin: China's Integration into the World - Endless Reform and Opening Up

Author:IFF

From:IFF

Time:2017-12-01

At the IFF Policy Dialogue for Global Finance Exploration of the 15th Annual Meeting of the International Finance Forum (IFF), Zhou Hanmin, vice chairman of the CPPCC Shanghai Committee said that China is in process integrating into the world. China has become the world's largest country in trade terms for four consecutive years. China's contribution to the world economy exceeds 30%. The World Bank's business environment report shows that China has ranked 78th in the past two consecutive years, and 46th this year, entering the top 50 for the first time. For China, reform and opening up is an endless process, and China is and will continue to integrate into the world.

The following is the speech record:

In the past year, there was a view in the United States that the United States very much regretted having China join the World Trade Organization. This statement is absurd and incomplete. China is one of the 23 founding parties to the WTO’s predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. With 15 years and 5 months of effort, China went from re-entry to WTO entry, and finally completed the task of re-entry on December 11, 2001. These 15 years and 5 months are difficult times for China to integrate into the world. It is difficult, and it is worth cherishing. We have a hot word called "connecting with international standards". Connecting with international standards means aligning with international practices and aligning with international rules. In the field of international economy and trade, to this day, there is no rule and no custom established by the Chinese. However, we are working hard to approach, move closer, follow, and refer to, that is, in such a difficult effort, let us step by step to the prosperity of China.

In the first year of reform and opening up in 1978, China's total foreign trade import and export volume was only 20.6 billion US dollars. At that time, it accounted for 1% of the world's total, only 0.8%. On December 11, 2001, when China entered the WTO, the total value of foreign trade imports and exports had risen to 500 billion U.S. dollars, but compared to a certain figure last year, it seemed very small. Last year, China exported US $ 505 billion in trade to the United States and US $ 130 billion in trade imports to the United States. China integrated into the world. For the fourth consecutive year, China became the world's largest trade country at US $ 4.1 trillion. Therefore, China integrated into the world and strengthened itself. At the same time, China's contribution to the world economy exceeds 30% each year. In the past 15 years and 5 months, the most difficult negotiations were with the United States, and the most lengthy negotiations were with the United States. The United States fully understands that China complies with the basic requirements of the World Trade Organization and meets the most stringent requirements for accession to the WTO. The Chinese translation of the WTO rules is called "consensus". In this "consensus", the United States agrees. Therefore, this is an international promise that the United States will retaliate today, and some people will even expel China from the WTO the other day. If it is not ignorance, it is arrogant. In a word, WTO rules are largely formulated by the United States. It is not only a pity to abandon it today, but it is totally inconsistent with the trend of historical development. In such a short period of time, I will give two things to illustrate: For China, reform is endless, open to infinity, and integration into the world is always a process.

The World Bank released a “Business Environment Report 2019” at 9 pm on October 31, tracking 190 economies in a row and making evaluations, rankings and tips on the business environment. For two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018, China ranked 78th in the World Bank's Doing Business Report. We believe that on the 40th anniversary of the reform and opening up, we should organize and start again, and make continuous efforts. In the World Bank report released on October 31, we jumped 32 places, and this year we are ranked in the World Bank's business environment report 46th place, entering the top 50 for the first time. And this year's World Bank report clearly stated that China's efforts to improve the business environment are among the top 10 countries in the past year. I can frankly say that I carefully read the names of the top 10 countries, including China, but not the United States. This effort shows that the business environment is only better than best, and we are advancing on the road of openness.

What is the road? The road is the world trend. China will definitely follow the trend. So China will host the first Import Expo from November 5th to 10th this year and see the world. A sovereign state government hosted the first expo, which reached an agreement amount of 58.73 billion US dollars in 6 days, which is unique. It is a mirror that reflects the inadequacy of our comparison with the world; it is a yardstick that allows us to realize that we must continuously expand foreign trade imports for a better life of the Chinese people. Therefore, in the keynote address of the Expo, Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the State Council, said that in the next 15 years, China's total imports of goods will reach 30 trillion U.S. dollars, and total imports of services trade will reach 10 trillion U.S. dollars. These two figures have never been mentioned by any country, and China's mention is a promise.

China's reform and opening up is a conscious, autonomous, and self-directed choice. It is China's second revolution, and has profoundly changed China as well as the world. China's reform and opening up is to actively listen to all calls for reform in the world. For example, globalization still has its drawbacks to be abolished; the WTO itself needs reform, and China will actively participate. The United States and China, as the first and second largest countries, are both permanent members of the UN Security Council. The two most important countries on both sides of the Pacific are responsible for world economic, social, cultural, and political development. That’s the reason why the two countries need to cooperate. I sincerely hope that we will see positive results at the G20 summit to be held at the end of the month (editor's note: meaning the end of November).

SHARE: