Making new ground in pursuing opening up on all fronts
Since the late 1970s, China has followed opening up as a basic national policy, and kept increasing its extent and depth. The country has undergone a historic change from being closed or semi-closed to opening to the outside world on all fronts.
From the Party's 18th National Congress, the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core has explored new theories and practiced innovation. China builds closer contacts and integrates further with the outside world. It has also broken new ground in opening up on all fronts, with 11 FTZs (the Liaoning, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, Shaanxi and Chongqing free trade zones in 2007; the Shanghai Free Trade Zone in 2012; and the Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian free trade zones in 2015) progressing at home, extensive international cooperation through the Belt and Road Initiative, an inflow of overseas investment, increasingly procedure-based investment overseas, and development of a new institution of open economy.
At its fifth plenary session in October 2015, the 18th CPC Central Committee made the decision to open China further through links running eastward and westward, across land and over sea. Xi Jinping echoed this at the Party's 19th National Congress, engaging to pursue opening up on all fronts. He stated that openness brings progress, while self-seclusion leaves one lagging. China will not close its door to the world; we will only become more and more open. China adheres to the fundamental national policy of opening up and pursues development with its doors open wide, and the country will develop an open economy of higher standards. His words make it clear that China will keep on opening, and define the country's goals and how they will be realized in the new era.
The major tasks for China's overall opening up include:
–promoting Belt and Road cooperation;
–turning China into a trader of quality;
–improving the environment for overseas investment;
–balancing the opening of different regions;
–developing new ways for outbound investment; and
–promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.
推动形成全面开放新格局
改革开放以来，中国坚持对外开放基本国策，不断拓展对外开放的广度和深度，实现了从封闭半封闭到全方位开放的历史性转变。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央积极推进对外开放理论和实践创新，中国与世界的联系越来越紧密，中国融入世界的程度越来越深。近年来，从纵深推进“1+3+7”自贸区1 、全面实施“一带一路”倡议，到积极利用外资和引导规范对外投资、建设开放型经济新体制，中国全方位对外开放新格局正式确立。2015年10月，党的十八届五中全会明确提出，要打造陆海内外联动、东西双向开放的全面开放新格局。2017年10月，党的十九大报告提出 ，推动形成全面开放新格局”，强调“开放带来进步，封闭必然落后”，“中国开放的大门不会关闭，只会越开越大”“，中国坚持对外开放的基本国策，坚持打开国门搞建设，”“发展更高层次的开放型经济”，系统回答了新时代中国要不要开放、要什么样的开放、如何更好推动开放等重大命题。推动形成全面开放新格局的主要任务和重要举措包括：扎实推进“一带一路”建设，加快贸易强国建设，改善外商投资环境，优化区域开放布局，创新对外投资合作方式，促进贸易和投资自由化便利化。
“1”指的是2012年挂牌的上海自贸区，“3”指的是2015年挂牌的广东、天津、福建自贸区，“7”指的是2017年挂牌的辽宁、浙江、河南、湖北、四川、陕西、重庆自贸区。