Shou Xiaoli:

Alright, last question.

China Daily:

It is understood that Guizhou is constructing a new high ground for an open inland economy, which is also a positioning given to Guizhou by the central government. As an inland province in western China, how will Guizhou promote high-level domestic and international opening-up as well as better serve and integrate into the new national development pattern? Thank you!

Li Bingjun:

Thank you for your question, I will answer this. As an inland province in western China, Guizhou, which is not along a river, the sea or the border, has relatively lacked in objective conditions for opening-up in the past. However, with the deep implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, especially the opening of the China-Laos Railway and the accelerated construction of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, Guizhou's opening-up pattern has fundamentally changed. Now, westward from Guizhou, through the China-Laos Railway to Vientiane, Laos, we can reach ASEAN countries; northward, through the China-Europe freight train and China-Central Asia freight train, we can reach Central Asia, North Asia and Europe directly; southward, through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor and the Guizhou-Guangdong transportation channels, we can easily reach the sea. It can be said that Guizhou's opening-up pattern has undergone profound changes, and the conditions for developing an open inland economy have been met.

As Guizhou embarks on its opening-up journey, it is crucial to define a clear direction. Given the current changes in the opening-up pattern, we believe that pursuing opportunities around the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), particularly in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and Central Asia, holds the most potential. In the past two years, Guizhou's total import and export volume with countries along the BRI has increased by an annual average of 28.4%, and with ASEAN it has increased by 33.8%. Last month, I led a delegation to visit Indonesia, Thailand and Laos. The political and business communities in these three countries are very optimistic about the prospects for cooperation with Guizhou, which has led to a number of practical cooperative achievements.

Guizhou's opening-up requires the development of inland ports. By concentrating our efforts on developing the Guiyang International Land Port, we are transferring the functions of coastal ports inland, enabling direct export clearance and direct import entry. This has greatly improved overall customs clearance efficiency. We will further enhance the functionality of the inland port, providing businesses with more convenient "one-stop" services, establishing it as a major international logistics hub in southwest China.

Guizhou's opening-up necessitates the export of more specialty and high-quality goods, as well as increased imports of such quality goods. Currently, items such as Guizhou's baijiu, tires, chemical fertilizers, new energy battery materials, agricultural products and guitars are very popular overseas.

Going forward, we will continue to promote opening-up, enhance the development of our export industries and improve our international channels, platforms and environment. We will resolutely follow the Belt and Road Initiative and go global, contributing to the creation and construction of a new development pattern in Guizhou. Thank you!

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Li. Thank you to all the speakers and participating journalists. Today's press conference will end here. Goodbye, everyone.

Translated and edited by Wang Yiming, Wang Wei, Mi Xingang, Huang Shan, Yang Xi, Liu Sitong, Liu Caiyi, Wang Yanfang, Li Xiao, Wang Qian, Wang Ziteng, Liu Jianing, Ma Yujia, Zhang Rui, Li Huiru, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.