Opening Up on All Fronts
Opening up is a distinctive characteristic of contemporary China and the path the country must take to achieve prosperity and development. Since the late 1970s, China has maintained opening up as a basic national policy and continued expanding its scope and depth. The country has undergone a historic change from being closed or semi-closed to opening to the outside world on all fronts, a historic change in its relations with the world. In 1979, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council decided to implement special policies and flexible measures for foreign-related economic activities in Guangdong and Fujian provinces. In 1980, special economic zones were established in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou, and Xiamen, marking the official commencement of China's opening up. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, the scope of opening gradually expanded from special economic zones to some coastal areas and then from coast to inland, from south to north, and from east to west, to cover some riverside, border, and inland areas. In 2001, China acceded into the World Trade Organization, which further expanded opening up from certain regions to all fronts.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, China has implemented a more proactive strategy to promote opening up on a larger scale, across more areas and in greater depth, constantly providing new opportunities for the world through its development and bringing more benefits to the people of all countries by promoting an open world economy. China will continue to open wider to the world, contribute to the world with a more vibrant civilization, and work together with other countries to build a better world.
全方位对外开放
开放是当代中国的鲜明标识，是国家繁荣发展的必由之路。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，也实现了中国同世界关系的历史性变革。1979年，中共中央、国务院决定对广东、福建两省的对外经济活动实行特殊政策和灵活措施，并于1980年在深圳、珠海、汕头、厦门创办经济特区，标志着中国对外开放正式启程。20世纪80年代中期至90年代初，对外开放的范围由特区逐步扩大到沿海、沿江、沿边和内陆地区，形成了从沿海到内地、由南向北、自东向西区域梯次开放的格局。2001年，中国加入世界贸易组织，区域性对外开放逐渐转变为全方位对外开放。
中共十八大以来，中国实行更加积极主动的开放战略，推动形成更大范围、更宽领域、更深层次的对外开放格局， 不断以中国新发展为世界提供新机遇，推动建设开放型世界经济，更好惠及各国人民。中国将以更加开放的姿态拥抱世界、以更有活力的文明成就贡献世界，同世界各国携手建设美好世界。
