Working Together for a Bright Future of Openness and Prosperity

Editor's Note: President Xi Jinping delivered a speech via video at the opening ceremony of the fifth China International Import Expo on Friday. Here's the full text:

Remarks by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

At the Opening Ceremony of the Fifth China International Import Expo

4 November 2022

Your Excellencies Heads of State and Government,

Your Excellencies Heads of International Organizations,

Your Excellencies Heads of Delegations,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

Good evening! I would like to extend, on behalf of the Chinese government and people and also in my own name, a warm welcome and hearty greetings to all our guests attending the fifth China International Import Expo (CIIE).

Five years ago, I announced the decision to hold the CIIE for the very purpose of expanding China's opening-up and turning our enormous market into enormous opportunities for the world. Today, the CIIE has become a showcase of China's new development paradigm, a platform for high-standard opening-up, and a public good for the whole world.

Openness is a key driving force behind the progress of human civilizations and an intrinsic path toward global prosperity and development. The world today is confronted with accelerated changes unseen in a century as well as a sluggish economic recovery. We should commit ourselves to openness to meet development challenges, foster synergy for cooperation, build the momentum of innovation, and deliver benefits to all. We should steadily advance economic globalization, enhance every country's dynamism of growth, and provide all nations with greater and fairer access to the fruits of development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

As the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has underscored, China remains committed to the fundamental national policy of opening up to the outside world, pursues a mutually beneficial strategy of opening-up, and adheres to the right course of economic globalization. We will amplify the interplay between domestic and international markets and resources, strive to create new opportunities for the world with our own development, and contribute our share to building an open global economy.

China will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities in its vast market. We will step up efforts to cultivate a robust domestic market, upgrade trade in goods, develop new mechanisms for trade in services, and import more quality products. We will establish pilot zones for Silk Road e-commerce cooperation and build national demonstration zones for innovative development of trade in services, so as to encourage innovation in trade and promote high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.

China will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities from its institutional opening-up. We will steadily expand institutional opening-up with regard to rules, regulations, management and standards, put into full effect the new Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment, and further develop the national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the service sector. We will implement the strategy to upgrade pilot free trade areas, accelerate the Hainan Free Trade Port development, and tap into their role as pilot platforms for comprehensive reform and opening-up.

China will work with all countries and all parties to share the opportunities from deepened international cooperation. We will engage fully and deeply in WTO reform negotiations, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and enhance international macroeconomic policy coordination, with a view to jointly fostering new drivers for global growth. We will endeavor actively to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) to expand the globally oriented network of high-standard free trade areas. We will firmly support other developing countries and assist them in growing faster, and promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Friends,

"After endless mountains and rivers that leave doubt whether there is a path out, suddenly one encounters the shade of a willow, bright flowers and a lovely village." As this ancient Chinese poem indicates, the path is unfolding before us, and a brighter future beckons beyond. China is ready to work with all countries to practice true multilateralism, build more consensus for openness, jointly overcome the difficulties and challenges confronting global economic growth, and make sure that our commitment to openness will bring about broad prospects for global development.

Thank you!

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS