China Industry News：
What opportunities does the Belt and Road Initiative offer for the export of Chinese equipment manufacturing products? What progress has been made in such exports? What difficulties do we encounter? What measures will MIIT take to drive export expansion? Thank you.
Xin Guobin:
Thank you for your question. Notable progress has been made in exporting Chinese equipment manufacturing products. High-speed rail-laying, electric power equipment, engineering machinery, electronic information manufacturing products and ships have become new business name cards for China’s equipment manufacturing. Our rail transport products have entered the global market, as evidenced by the completion of Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway and the construction of the China-Laos high speed railway. Our electric power technology is world-beating. The first overseas Hualong-1 Project is progressing steadily and the reactor has been used in the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in England. Moreover, high-end products such as engineering machinery and ships are widely popular around the world.
Despite the progress, both the volume and level of major equipment exports need to be increased, and international investment and cooperation in this sector need to be expanded. Some constraints and problems lie behind the present situation. First of all, the global political and economic landscape keeps changing, greatly influencing Chinese companies’ international investment and cooperation. Besides, rising protectionism and growing trade barriers make it harder for China’s standards to gain international certification. Other constraints include the shortage of interdisciplinary professionals with global vision, lack of public information services and inadequate understanding of the investment destinations’ political and economic environments, laws and regulations as well as traditions and customs.
To increase exports of Chinese equipment manufacturing products, MIIT will take the following measures: help establish overseas service agencies, create a sound international environment based on bilateral and multilateral dialogue mechanisms, intensify efforts to nurture or attract interdisciplinary professionals with global vision and accelerate internationalization and mutual recognition of standards. Thank you.
Shenzhen Satellite TV:
I have a question for Mr. Ning. We all know that the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area was addressed in the Government Work Report during the last NPC and CPPCC sessions, of which the new layout is important to the Belt and Road Initiative. My question is: How will the Guangdong-HongKong-Macau Great Bay Area, guided by the spirit of openness, make full use of their advantages to engender a new round of cooperation with the countries involved in the Initiative? Moreover, as Shenzhen has always spearheaded economic reform of China, how will the city continue to make its contribution to a new phase of openness led by the Initiative?
Ning Jizhe:
Hong Kong is playing an important role in the country’s far-sighted Belt and Road Initiative. During the past decade, when China started to unfold its Western Region Development Strategy, Hong Kong exerted great influence in the campaign and it is now expected to make an equal contribution to the Initiative by taking advantage of its comprehensive capabilities and forming a bridge between China and the world. It can encourage greater involvement by its competitive sectors, including, service, finance and shipping and making use of its role as a trade center, to support the Initiative as it gathers momentum.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area, referred to in the Government Work Report this year, is related to the Initiative, in which it has an even more meaningful role. Some departments, both from the State Council and the NDRC, are in close contact with the HKSAR, to work out a draft plan.
At the same time, as a leading force of China’s reform and opening up and the earliest special economic zone in China, Shenzhen will undoubtedly have considerable responsibilities in any new round of upgraded openness. It is expected to extend its influence to both the Initiative and the construction of the Great Bay Area. Thank you.
Xi Yanchun:
That’s all for today’s press conference. Thanks for our two spokespeople and thank you all.