SCIO press conference on supporting high-level reform and opening-up of Pudong New Area and building Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization
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E-mail China.org.cn, July 28, 2021
Speakers:
Cong Liang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission
Sun Yuning, vice minister of the General Administration of Customs of China
Xu Jing, director of the Department of Strategy and Planning of the Ministry of Science and Technology
Wang Xin, director of the Research Bureau of the People's Bank of China
Chen Yin, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shanghai Municipal Committee, and executive vice mayor of Shanghai
Weng Zuliang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and secretary of the CPC Pudong New Area Committee
Chairperson:
Chen Wenjun, head of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
July 20, 2021
Chen Wenjun:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO). Recently, the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued a guideline to support the high-level reform and opening-up of the Pudong New Area in Shanghai and build Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization. This is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. To help you have a more in-depth and accurate understanding of this document, today we have invited Mr. Cong Liang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC); Mr. Sun Yuning, vice minister of the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC); Mr. Xu Jing, director of the Department of Strategy and Planning of the Ministry of Science and Technology; Mr. Wang Xin, director of the Research Bureau of the People's Bank of China (PBC); Mr. Chen Yin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and executive vice mayor of Shanghai; and Mr. Weng Zuliang, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee, and secretary of the CPC Pudong New Area Committee. They will introduce the relevant information regarding the guideline and take your questions. Next, I will give the floor to Mr. Cong.
Cong Liang:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good morning. Shanghai plays a very important role in the overall work of the Party and the country. The development and opening-up of Pudong opened a new chapter for deepening China's reform and opening-up. On Nov. 12, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping called for new missions for Pudong in China's reform and opening-up at a grand gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the development and opening-up of Pudong. He said that efforts should go into making Pudong a pioneer of reform and opening-up at a higher level, a vanguard in fully building a modern socialist country, and an example that highlights the Chinese people's confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. This is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee based on a comprehensive analysis of the specific features of our times, realistic requirements, and the dynamics of the domestic and international environments. Recently, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council jointly issued a guideline to support the high-level reform and opening-up of Pudong and build Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization. Next, I will give a brief introduction regarding the guideline.
The guideline fully implements the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech and draws up an ambitious blueprint for building Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization. In general, the guideline highlights the following three points. First, supporting Pudong in acting as a pioneer and a vanguard on a new journey toward socialist modernization in order to implement the national rejuvenation strategy within the wider context of the once-in-a-century changes taking place in the world. Second, supporting Pudong in acting as a central node of the domestic circulation and a strategic link of China's new development paradigm of "dual circulation," and helping it play a better role in leading and stimulating the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta in order to foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. Third, to further promote reform and opening-up in the new era, the guideline supports Pudong in taking up the heaviest burdens and tackling the hardest tasks, setting an example of high-level reform and opening-up, as well as demonstrating China's commitment and confidence in deepening reform and opening wider to the world.
Based on these three points, the guideline gives five strategic positions to Pudong, sets two-stage development goals, and introduces 21 major tasks and measures in seven aspects.
The five strategic positions include becoming a pioneer in promoting higher-level reform and opening-up, a benchmark for innovation-driven development, a leader in the allocation of global resources, a pacesetter of boosting domestic demand, and a model of modern urban governance.
The two-stage development goals are as follows. By 2035, Pudong will see its modernized economy comprehensively established, modern urban districts built, and modernized governance fully realized. Its urban development level and international competitiveness will be at the forefront globally. By 2050, Pudong is expected to become an important urban area which will be highly attractive, creative, competitive and influential globally, a global model of urban governance and a "shining pearl" of a great modern socialist country.
There are seven measures which are as follows. First, we will make every effort to strengthen the engine of innovation. We will speed up the research and development of key technologies, build world-class innovative industrial clusters, deepen the systemic reform of scientific and technological innovation, and lend impetus to indigenous innovation-driven development in order to target global frontiers of science and technology, serve the main economic battlefield, strive to fulfill the significant needs of the country and benefit people's lives and health. Second, we will improve the reform of systems integration. By introducing a range of measures aimed at basic and leading reform efforts, we will innovate government service management, strengthen the basic position of competition policy, improve the integrated operation mechanism of factor markets, and activate new momentum for high-quality development. Third, we will promote high-level institutional opening-up. We will advance the pilot trials of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and its Lingang Special Area, build Shanghai into an international shipping hub, establish the "express" system of bringing in global high-end talent, and create an integrated special economic function zone in Pudong, so as to consolidate our internationally cooperative and competitive edge. Fourth, we will enhance our allocation ability of resources on a global scale. When promoting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative through joint efforts, we will further open up the financial sector, set up primary investment and financing platforms at home and abroad, improve financial infrastructure and systems, and be active in the allocation of resources such as capital, information, technology, and talent around the globe, helping foster a new pattern of development. Fifth, we will boost urban governance modernization. We will initiate a new stage in urban construction for the people through innovating and improving the urban governance system. This will create an urban landscape that is suitable for the times. It will feature a harmonious and beautiful environment, and enhance the life quality of our citizens. Sixth, we will make use of the advantages that come with our great domestic market to improve the quality and scale of its demands. We will cultivate and popularize Shanghai's brands of services, manufacturing, shopping, culture and tourism, in order to not only meet new demands, but also generate new demands with high-quality supply. Seventh, we will balance development and security imperatives. With the focus on finance, public health, and production safety, we will improve the risk control and management system to adapt to deepening reform and opening-up and forestall systemic risks.
The most important work now is how to achieve the goals in this completed blueprint. The National Development and Reform Commission will fully grasp and put into practice the guiding principles of the speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the ceremony marking the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and make great efforts to coordinate related departments and push forward the implementation of the various reform measures in the guidelines, in accordance with the CPC Central Committee and the State Council's policy decisions and plans and under the leadership of the leading group for promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. Thank you.
Chen Wenjun:
Thank you, Mr. Cong. Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Chen.
Chen Yin:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, good day to you all. Thank you for your attention to Shanghai's development, especially for the support and attention to the work of high-level reform and opening-up in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. The CPC Central Committee gave the historical mission of building a pioneer area for socialist modernization to Pudong, Shanghai, which is a landmark during the city's development, giving full recognition to the successful practice of Pudong's development and opening-up in the past three decades and also showing the expectations for Shanghai achieving new miracles in the new era. Yesterday, at the meeting organized by the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and the Shanghai government, Li Qiang, Shanghai's Party chief, said that principles of the speeches by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the ceremony marking the CPC centenary and at the grand gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the development and opening-up of Shanghai's Pudong must be implemented, as well as the guidelines of building a pioneer area for socialist modernization. The city sends a strong message of high-level reform and opening-up, and will make great efforts to achieve new miracles and build a new image. On the new journey, we will always be at the forefront of reform and development and be a great pioneer in accordance with the requirements of the CPC Central Committee.
First, a holistic strategic design is needed. We will make a holistic strategic design in accordance with requirements by General Secretary Xi Jinping on Shanghai's work during the process of promoting high-level reform and opening-up of Pudong. The priority is to build economic zones with special functions in Pudong and promote the construction of a special customs supervision zone. Pudong will be built as an international financial, trade and shipping center, and a core area for international scientific and technological innovation. Moreover, Pudong will be supported in constructing an international consumption center and a model of modern urban governance that people enjoy living and working in. Meanwhile, we will improve the system of legal protections so that Pudong will be supported to find solutions through trials and breakthroughs when facing up to new challenges.
Second, we will strengthen the pioneering role of landmark projects, so as to make more breakthroughs as soon as possible and bring Pudong area and Shanghai to new heights of development. Firstly, we will promote the innovative development of the Chinese capital market through building of the trading platform for international financial assets. Several major pieces of financial infrastructure will be constructed including a national warehouse receipt registration center for bulk commodities traded on the exchange and a national large-scale warehouse for precious metals traded on the exchange. Secondly, we will build new highlands of independent innovation and further highlight the functions and role of the Zhangjiang Comprehensive National Scientific Center. National laboratories, world-class major science and technology clusters, an international data port and a data exchange will all be built. Thirdly, we will focus on key functional blocks, major transportation hubs and high-end leading industries, in order to create new highlights and hotspots. Lastly, we will promote major projects for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, such as a global shipping hub, a public health emergency management system and a capital market service base.
Third, we will work to make breakthroughs in system integration. In order to achieve the best level and meet the highest international standards, we will explore and reform system integration and collaboration efficiency, and coordinate finance, shipping, trade and technological innovation. Key blocks, such as Lujiazui Financial Zone, Zhangjiang Scientific Center and Lingang New Area, will be interconnected. We will actively allocate global capital, information, technology, talent and other resources, and expand the fast track of two-way connectivity between basic research, applied research and industrialization, so as to boost the engine of innovation.
Fourth, we will explore ways to achieve independent reform. According to the guideline, the central government has asked us to carry out both a comprehensive pilot reform and an institutional openness pilot. Regarding comprehensive reform, we will further coordinate economic, social and urban governance, formulate pilot schemes, introduce new special measures to further relax market access, and promote the pilot reform of "one permit for one industry" system. A pilot system for listing registration and confirmation will be explored. We will work to see our people are able to access more government services via a single website, and realize the "one network and co-governance" of urban management. In the respect of institutional opening-up, we will intensify risk and stress tests, and expand openness from the factor level to the system level. The Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and Lingang New Zone will be the pioneers, and the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone will witness new breakthroughs in construction. In keeping with the goal of building Pudong into a pioneer area for socialist modernization and in line with the central government's general layout for Shanghai's development, we will further delegate power and energize development in Pudong, and transform institutional policies into powerful driving forces. We will strengthen coordination between reform, innovation and development. The high-level reform and opening-up in Pudong are expected to play a bigger role in leading and stimulating the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as well as China's overall economic development. We will spare no efforts to fulfill all the tasks assigned by the central government. Thank you.
Chen Wenjun:
Thank you, Mr. Chen. The floor is now open for questions. Please identify your news outlets before asking questions.
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