CCPIT

CCPIT

Symposium of CCPIT Eastern China and Symposium for Foreign-invested Enterprises Open

On July 6th， the Symposium of CCPIT Eastern China and Symposium for Foreign-invested Enterprises were held in Hangzhou， Zhejiang Province. Zhang Shenfeng， Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade （CCPIT）， chaired the meeting and delivered a speech.

In his speech， Zhang Shenfeng said that foreign-invested enterprises have played an important role in Chinas reform and opening-up. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to the utilization of foreign investment. It is a major task entrusted to the CCPIT and its sub-councils by the CPC and the state to set up task forces to serve foreign-invested enterprises in order to promptly collect and relay their demands. It is also an important starting point for trade promotion practitioners to serve foreigninvested enterprises and help stabilize foreign trade and investment. Eastern China is one of the regions experiencing the most vibrant economic development and is a top destination for foreign direct investment. Bringing task forces into being in CCPIT Eastern China was undertaken in a timely manner， with initial results being achieved due to this swift action. The next step for the CCPIT is to further enhance its political stance， take the initiative to shoulder responsibilities， and strive to become a model and pacesetter in attracting， securing， stabilizing and enriching businesses. In addition， it is important to resolve the difficulties and problems faced by foreign enterprises and boost their confidence when developing into China.

Delegates from 9 CCPIT sub-councils， including those in Zhejiang， Shanghai， Jiangsu and Shandong， as well as representatives of some foreign-invested enterprises in Hangzhou， attended the symposiums.

The 3rd Belt and Road Commercial Law Forum Successfully Opens

On the afternoon of July 7th， the 3rd Belt and Road Commercial Law （the Yellow River） Forum was successfully held in Lanzhou. Ke Liangdong， Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade （CCPIT）， and He Wei， Vice Governor of Gansu Provincial Peoples Government， attended the forum and delivered speeches.

Ke Liangdong said that over the past nine years， the Belt and Road Initiative has been transformed from an idea into practice， creating opportunities and benefiting the whole world. With the continuous， profound and complex changes in the international landscape， it is becoming increasingly urgent for enterprises in all countries to prevent legal risks and resolve disputes in a fair and efficient manner. In this context， it is of great significance to effectively integrate international resources， explore more diversified mechanisms and properly resolve disputes in accordance with the law to protect the rights and interests of enterprises and create a law-based business environment. In order to promote a fairer and more reasonable framework for international commercial dispute resolution， it is recommended to strengthen the connectivity and actively participate in global economic governance， prevent disputes and enhance legal risk prevention capabilities， optimize dispute settlement mechanisms and improve international commercial legal services.

At the forum， the functions of the Crossborder Trade and Investment Legal Services（CTILS） were introduced， and the latest findings of the Belt and Road national legal research were released. The forum was co-hosted by the CCPIT， the Gansu Provincial Peoples Government and the International Commercial Dispute Prevention and Settlement Organization （ICDPASO）， and was joined by more than 260 delegates from the Chinese and foreign chambers of commerce， business associations， university think tanks， and practical institutions.

10th CCPIT Youth Forum Successfully Opens

On July 7th， the 10th CCPIT Youth Forum was held in Beijing. Ren Hongbin， Secretary of the CCPIT CPC Leadership Group and Chairman of the CCPIT， attended the forum and delivered a speech， while Chen Jianan， Member of the CCPIT CPC Leadership Group and Vice Chairman of the CCPIT， presided over the forum. Many of the relevant officials in charge and youth delegates from member entities of the CCPIT Leading Group for Youth Work took part in the event.

The theme of the forum was “Forging Ahead on a New Journey and Making Achievements in the New Era—Celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the CCPIT”. Eight youth delegates from various CCPIT departments， affiliated agencies and offices abroad shared， in combination with their work experiences， their views on learning and implementing the guiding principles of the speeches delivered by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the celebration on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Youth League of China （CYLC）， the Conference on the 70th Anniversary of the CCPIT and Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit， and the BRICS Business Forum.

Ren Hongbin said the CCPITs young members should draw wisdom and strength from the centuryold history of the Communist Party of China and the CYLC， as well as the 70-year history of the CCPIT， work diligently and strive for innovation， and enhance their capacities and sharpen their skills by accomplishing key tasks， such as serving foreign-invested enterprises， so as to better fulfill their fundamental duty of serving enterprises. The young members of the CCPIT should be virtuous and benevolent， strictly observe discipline， and enhance their minds， political stance and professional capacities in a down-to-earth manner， so as to remain firm in resisting corruption and stay committed to a loftier and more meaningful life.

FIGURES

36%

Chinas trade surplus in goods surged by 36% year-on-year to USD 320.7 billion in the first half of the year， which is the highest reading on record for the same period according to official data.

1517

Data from the China Railway show that the network saw the number of trains in operation reach 1，517 in July， while the amount of delivered freight hit 149，000 TEUs （twenty-foot equivalent units） in the same period， up 11% and 12% yearon-year， respectively.

7.25%

Industrial data shows that Chinas major steel mills saw their average daily output of crude steel decrease by 7.25% in late July from that recorded in mid-July.

24%

The countrys exports in July surged by almost 24% year-onyear to RMB 2.25 trillion （USD 330 billion）， while imports rose by 7.4% to RMB 1.56 trillion， said the General Administration of Customs.

1.2%

According to preliminary calculations， Chinas gross ocean products grew 1.2% yearon-year to RMB 4.2 trillion（USD 623.1 billion） in the first half of the year.

4.1 trillion

The countrys total power usage increased by 2.9% year-on-year in the January-June period to 4.1 trillion kilowatt-hours， according to the National Energy Administration.

19.8%

From January to July， Chinas trade with Belt and Road countries and other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership（RCEP） soared by 19.8% and 7.5% year-on-year.

90.8%

By the end of June， up to 90.8% of the special bonds scheduled to be issued this year have successfully been issued. This is in sharp contrast to the situation last year， when only 50% of the quota was completed by August 2021.

101.3%

The China Bulk Merchandise Index， a gauge of domestic bulk commodity market growth， stood above the boom-or-bust line of 100% at 101.3% last month， down 0.2 percentage points from that recorded in June， according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing （CFLP）.

21.6%

Chinas service trade value grew 21.6% year-on-year in the first half of 2022， as showed in recent data from the Ministry of Commerce.

89.32%

The council released a report that analyzed the business environment in China for foreign enterprises in the second quarter of this year with more than 500 companies being surveyed. About 89.32% of foreign companies think highly of Chinas tax payment policies， with the feeling of “contentment”increasing 1.27 percentage points from the first quarter.

267 million

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics in late January showed that people aged 60 and older accounted for 18.9%， or around 267 million， of Chinas population（1.413 billion at the end of 2021）.

QUOTES

The fast growth in exports to emerging markets reflects the improving economic and trade ties between China and those economies， and this momentum is expected to continue.

— Bai Ming， Deputy Director of the international market research department at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing

The fast pace of foreign trade growth has fully demonstrated the competitiveness of China in the sector as its industrial chain gradually returns to normal performance.

— Zhou Mi， a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing

As China transitions from a manufacturing powerhouse to a smart-manufacturing hub powered by innovation， it will further help safeguard the stability of global industrial and supply chains.

— Liu Wenqiang， Deputy Head of the Beijing-based China Center for Information Industry Development

The trade potential from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is gradually being unleashed， and the 19 free trade agreements that China has signed with 26 economies will continue to facilitate trade and investment.

— Wei Jianguo， VicePresident of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges

The RCEP will make a significant contribution to our recovery strategy and will continue to support an inclusive and open trade and investment architecture in the region.

— ASEAN foreign ministers joint communique released after the 55th ASEAN foreign ministersmeeting （55th AMM） held in Phnom Penh

The government will continue to optimize the business

environment， improve services for foreign investors， strengthen regular exchanges with foreign companies and business associations， and actively respond to their suggestions.

— Chen Chunjiang， Director-General of the foreign investment administration department at the Ministry of Commerce

POLICIES

China Promotes Use of Land and Sea for Major Projects

China has announced a host of measures to support the use of the land and sea in major construction projects， according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The policies stress the need to guarantee the demand for such factors involved in the implementation of construction projects， while still adhering to the legal bottom line and the red line of resource security， explained the ministry.

In order to support economic development， China will simplify the approval of planned land for construction projects， promote the economical and intensive use of land， optimize the land supply， and improve the approval process for the use of seas and islands， they continued.

Efforts will also be made to ensure energy and resource security， strictly control sea reclamation， and promote high-quality development through more efficient use of resources.

Nation Leading in IoT and Digital Economy

Experts recently stated that the blossoming Internet of Things and the digital economy—two emerging areas where China has a head start over other countries—will inject new impetus into the world economy and help support the global recovery amid pressures from a cloudy global outlook and the COVID-19 pandemic.

With its lead in the development of IoT and its industrial applications， China is setting an example for other economies to follow， and is striving for innovationdriven and high-quality development despite challenges and uncertainties.

Zhang Qin， a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference， warned of the gloomy global outlook， saying that the world economy is facing challenges and multiple pressures from COVID-19 outbreaks， international geopolitical tensions， as well as rising inflation.

Against this backdrop， the innovative development of IoT and the digital economy is shedding light on the worlds future economic and social development， which will help support the global economic recovery and promote sustainable and robust growth， said Zhang.

China， as the worlds second-largest economy， has the foundations to be a world leader in developing IoT and the digital economy， as well as leading the way with applications and exploration， Zhang said during the World IoT Top 500 Summit.

“China has been actively embracing both digital industrialization and industrial digitization，” continued Zhang. “China is accelerating the pace at which we will enter a new era of IoT and the digital economy.”

China Announces Zero-Tariff Treatment for Least-Developed Countries

China will offer zero-tariff treatment on 98 percent of taxable products from the 16 least-developed countries， including Togo， Djibouti， Cambodia and Rwanda， according to a statement released by the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council.

Coming into force on September 1， the move will facilitate the sharing of market opportunities with these countries， push for common growth and advocate the building of a community with a shared future for mankind， said the statement.

The statement also states that this policy measure will gradually be expanded to include all of the leastdeveloped countries having diplomatic ties with China.

Prior to this move， the commission announced， in December last year， that China will grant preferential tariff treatments to the least-developed countries that have established diplomatic relations and completed the exchange of letters with China.