Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, delivers the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Asia Forum Annual Conference 2024 held in Hainan Province, southern China, on March 28, 2024.Photo: Xinhua News Agency
China's top legislative official, Zhao Leji, on Thursday reaffirmed China's determination to continue opening up its markets to the world. In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Asia Forum (BFA) 2024 Annual Conference, he said China's modernization through high-quality development will provide a powerful impetus to the global economy.
At the BFA opening meeting held in Boao, southern China's Hainan province, regional and world leaders, including President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, emphasized China's important role and support for Asia and the world through high-quality technology. He praised China's significant contributions to world peace and development. development and various global initiatives.
The BFA opened on Tuesday, a day after the conclusion of the China Development Forum (CDF) in Beijing. Both BFA and CDF attracted several regional and global leaders, multinational corporate executives, and academics. Experts say this year's BFA and CDF have a special significance, as Chinese officials have clearly charted a path towards high-quality development and opening-up through dozens of meetings. It is said that this increased the trust of the participants.
China's opportunities
Chairman Zhao said, “China is advancing China's modernization in all aspects with high-quality development, which will inject a strong impetus into the world economy and support the development of all countries, especially neighboring countries in Asia. It will bring more opportunities to the.” Chairman of the National People's Congress, China's highest legislative body, made the remarks at the BFA's opening plenary session on Thursday.
Citing China's series of initiatives to promote innovation-driven, open and green development, Zhao called on countries and companies from all over the world to invest in China, while reminding China that China's door to the world will never be closed. He said it would only open up more widely.
Mr. Zhao said, “Investing in China is investing in the future. All countries should ride the express train of China's development and work together towards world modernization characterized by peaceful development, mutually beneficial cooperation, and prosperity for all. We warmly welcome you.” Called on all parties to strengthen confidence, build a community with a common future for humanity, and work together to create a better future for Asia and the entire world amid serious and complex global challenges. .
This message of China's commitment to quality development and high standards of opening-up was reiterated by Chinese officials from both CDF and BFA, who gathered more than 100 international guests, including dozens of global CEOs. ing. 2,000 people, including heads of state, from more than 60 countries participated. This message resonated with many participants.
At the opening plenary session of the BFA annual conference on Thursday morning, several regional and world leaders praised China's openness, peace and development approach, while also rejecting protectionism and unilateralism.
“Indeed, we are meeting today against a background of unprecedented global uncertainty, fueled by geopolitical turmoil and economic upheaval,” Tokayev said in the opening session, He noted that although there are challenges ahead, Asia is well-positioned to continue to drive global growth and development. For many years to come.
“In this regard, the Boao Forum has emerged as embodying Asia's innovative approach to achieving universal economic development. It has also emerged as a prominent symbol of China's commitment to global development. established,” said the president of Kazakhstan.
Based in China, the BFA has been a leading platform for discussion on regional and global affairs since its founding more than 20 years ago. And the forum continues to grow in popularity and visibility as more countries participate in his BFA annual conference and more countries and regions join the platform.
The Pacific island nation participated for the first time in the BFA annual conference this year, Nauru President David Adane said in his address at the opening plenary session in Boao.
“As a small island and developing country in the Pacific, we are honored to be here to share our perspectives. We provide an important platform to address the pressing challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region and the world. Thank you for this forum,” said Adean, who is visiting China as a state guest after the two countries recently established diplomatic relations.
“Nauru has recently established bilateral relations with China to recognize and wholeheartedly support the one-China principle. This partnership puts Nauru on the right side of history, benefits both countries, and fosters mutual respect. and promote prosperity,” Mr Adane said. He pointed out that China's vision of promoting economic globalization and creating new prospects for growth and development is crucial for a small country like Nauru.
increase confidence
These sentiments about China's contribution to regional and global development were echoed by other participants throughout the BFA Annual Meeting held in Boao, with China's clear signal of continued development and opening up This shows that the trust of stakeholders, business executives, and the academic community is increasing.
“What was particularly remarkable at this year's CDF and BFA was that China clearly laid out a path towards high-quality development and cooperation with the world. This attracted great enthusiasm from overseas guests to our discussions. “Wang Yiwei said. A professor at Renmin University's School of International Relations, who attended both Beijing's CDF and Boao's BFA, told the Global Times on Thursday. “China has talked a lot about opening up, but some say it is not doing enough. However, this time China has shown concrete measures.”
In recent months, China has taken a number of steps to further open its market to the world. It waives visa requirements for nationals of many Asian and European countries and facilitates people-to-people exchanges. In this year's government work report, China said it would lift all restrictions on foreign investment in manufacturing. It published a nationwide negative list for the service sector and further expanded access for foreign companies. It also announced a 24-point action plan to improve the business environment and attract foreign investment.
Despite China's concrete opening-up policy, Western media have carried out a relentless campaign to smear China's economy, portraying China as a deteriorating environment for foreign companies. However, a flurry of meetings between senior Chinese officials and multinational executives in the past week or so at both the CDF and BFA are in sharp contrast to the growing protectionism and hostility of some Western governments. It clearly demonstrated the openness of foreign business.
Some foreign experts who attended the BFA also said that China's business environment has improved, making China a more attractive country for global companies.
In addition to China's continued opening-up, China's clear path to pursuing innovation-driven green development has also attracted significant attention from foreign officials, business leaders, and academics from both the CDF and BFA. “China has a clear path to innovation and green transition, and we are very interested,” Wang said.
“China has shown the world how to build renewable energy assets at scale, it has shown how to bring down the cost of renewable energy, and… it must show us how to use renewable energy,” Australia said. said Andrew Forrest, Chairman and Founder of Iron Iron. Ore giant Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) said this at the BFA on Thursday, according to an FMG transcript sent to the Global Times.
Mr Forrest passionately called for cooperation among Asian countries to protect the environment and tackle climate change. “Once again, dear people of Asia, we can be an example and proof of what a peaceful and pollution-free world should be like,'' he said, adding that we can foster cooperation to improve living standards for all. He added that it meant BFA. .
