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As an inland province, Sichuan has actively promoted coordinated opening-up between inland and coastal, riverside and border areas, and stepped up efforts to integrate into and serve the national opening-up pattern. What measures has Sichuan taken in expanding high-standard opening-up and what results has it achieved? Thank you.
Zuo Yongxiang:
You raise very important questions. Sichuan is not in the border areas or by the sea, it is as you put it — a typical inland province. However, Sichuan has relied on the Tea Horse Road and the southern Silk Road to trade with the world since ancient times. Nowadays, in accordance with the requirements of quickly developing a hub for opening-up to the west and a new base for international competition as the strategic position of Sichuan, we are making strides to transform the inland province into a pioneer of opening-up. In our work, we are mainly focused on the following four aspects: channels, platforms, markets and the environment.
We have accelerated the construction of channels for opening up domestically and internationally, building a three-dimensional, diversified transportation system for opening-up to the world. We have built 48 major channels leading outside of the province and 17 airports. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, is the third city in China to have two international airports. Last year, the air passenger throughput surpassed 75 million. Sichuan's international trains connect with 112 cities abroad, and the China-Europe Railway Express (Chengdu-Chongqing) has handled 30,000 train trips.
We have also strengthened the gathering function of opening-up platforms, expanding the main areas and main force of opening-up. More than 50 national comprehensive bonded zones, high-tech zones, and economic development zones and 121 provincial development zones lead Sichuan's opening-up. The Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone has gathered one-quarter of the province's foreign-funded enterprises and accounted for one-tenth of the total foreign trade. A total of 14 reform and innovation outcomes have been replicated and promoted across the country. Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone has launched 68 national-level innovation platforms, attracting 800,000 high-level professionals and 134 Fortune Global 500 companies.
We have also focused on cultivating business entities that are open to the world, helping enterprises tap the international market. Last year, we implemented a special initiative to cultivate foreign trade entities, adding nearly 1,000 enterprises with actual achievements in the field, and organized about 3,000 enterprises to participate in more than 150 overseas market expansion activities. Provincial leaders led delegations to explore overseas markets, and added orders worth 68 billion yuan. We also launched a special initiative to expand imports. Imports grew by 25.8% in the first quarter of this year, which was the biggest highlight in foreign trade in the quarter. We continue to host the Well-known Chinese and Foreign Enterprises' Visit to Sichuan serial activities. Foreign direct investment has totaled more than 100 billion yuan in five years, and last year, an average of 2.5 foreign-funded enterprises settled in Sichuan every day.
We have been building a business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized. We have implemented measures to facilitate payments for foreign visitors, resulting in a ninefold increase in mobile payment consumption by foreigners during this year's Labor Day holiday compared to last year. Since last year, we have also introduced five policies supporting further opening-up, leading to a continuous improvement in international logistics efficiency. Just the day before yesterday, a China-Europe Railway Express train loaded with consumer goods from Sichuan departed from Chengdu to Moscow. The train will reach its destination in 10 days, which is six days shorter than before.
Next, we will soon hold a provincial conference to convey to the world our firm determination to expand opening-up. Thank you.
