The Ministry of Commerce held the 2015 National Conference on Import and Export on February 5, 2015. The main task of this conference was to convey and implement the important instructions of central leaders on foreign trade, implement the spirit of the Central Economic Working Conference and the National Business Work Conference, summarize the foreign trade work of 2014, analyze the foreign trade situation at present and in the future, and deploy the tasks of 2015. Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng attended the conference and delivered a speech, and International Trade Representative and Vice Minister Zhong Shan made the work report.
The conference pointed out that, targeting at the complex and severe domestic and international situation in 2014, the Ministry of Commerce issued policies and measures to support the steady growth of foreign trade and strengthen import duly. Related departments and local governments strengthened the implementation, stimulated the vitality of market entities, boosted the confidence of foreign trade enterprises and gained positive achievements. In 2014, national import and export realized a steady growth, higher than major economies in the world and emerging developing countries. It was estimated that China’s export accounted for 12.2% of the global total, 0.5 percentage points higher than that in 2013, maintaining the status of the largest goods trader in the world. Noncomparable factors excluded, the national import and export in 2014 enjoyed a real growth of 6.1%, and export 8.7%, higher than expected. At the same time when foreign trade grew steadily, the pace of transformation and restructuring sped up, and development quality and efficiency were promoted, contributing more to the national economy.
Gao pointed out that we should always attach great importance to the role of foreign trade in economic development and reform and opening up. The practice of the 30-year reform and opening up showed that, foreign trade is an important foundation to ensure growth and employment, an important support to transformation and restructuring and an important method for expanding opening up and deepening reform. After entering into the WTO, the average rate of contribution of foreign trade to China’s economic growth reached 18%, resulting in the employment of 180 million people.
Gao stressed that at present, the international environment and domestic conditions faced by China’s foreign trade have encountered great changes and foreign trade development has entered into new normals. In 2015, China’s foreign trade still faces complex and severe situations, and we need great efforts to realize steady growth of foreign trade. The national commercial system should revivify spirit, strengthen implementation, carry forward the fine traditions of seeking truth and being practical, blazing new trails in a pioneering spirit and making tough efforts, implement the decisions and deployment of the Central Party Committee and the State Council, and complete the tasks of foreign trade through solid, efficient, arduous and meticulous work.
Zhong pointed out six priorities of foreign trade in 2015. Firstly, the implementation of policies that could stabilize the growth of foreign trade would be further promoted. Rectifying and standardizing charges in import and export would be strengthened, and trade facilitation would be promoted to maintain the succession and stability of the policies. Secondly, coordination between trade and investment, and trade and economic and technological cooperation would be strengthened, and trade development with countries related to the “Belt and Road” initiatives would be promoted. Thirdly, the “Five Optimizations” of international market layout, domestic regional layout, foreign trade products structure, foreign trade operation entities and trade patterns would be promoted. Fourthly, the “Three Constructions” of foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases, trade facilitation platforms and international market networks would speed up. Fifthly, work would be done to actively promote import, stabilize import of resource products, encourage import and advanced technological equipment and key components, and increase import of general consumer goods reasonably. Sixthly, we would make efforts to cultivate new business modes of foreign trade, and support and promote the development of enterprises of cross-border e-commerce, market procurement trade and comprehensive service of foreign trade.
A total of 120 representatives from the commercial departments of all provinces, autonomous region, municipalities, cities with independent planning status and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, as well as related departments, units and enterprises attended the conference.
