China Shares Opportunities with the World through Open Development
In recent years, China has been steadily advancing its opening up to the world, creating a more comprehensive and deeper pattern of international cooperation. As a major trading partner to over 150 countries and regions, China has reduced its overall tariff level to 7.3 percent, approaching those of developed members of the World Trade Organization (WTO). This commitment to openness underscores China's dedication to fostering mutual benefits and win-win outcomes on the global stage.
At the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, China reiterated its fundamental policy of opening up, emphasizing high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and further integration into regional and global economies. By building a high-quality global \"circle of friends,\" China lays an institutional foundation for high-level opening up, strengthening friendly exchanges and economic interactions with nations worldwide.
On a national level, China has established partnerships with over 113 countries and regional organizations, forging higher-level strategic cooperative partnerships with some nations. In July 2024, China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, urged the international community at the UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development to focus on development and revitalize global development partnerships.
Locally, China's efforts are equally robust. As of December 2024, China has established 3,069 friendship city relationships with 147 countries across five continents. The China International Friendship Cities Conference 2024, held in Kunming in November, brought together representatives of foreign sister cities under the theme \"Common Prosperity, Shared Future.\" Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on technological innovation, green development, cultural exchange, and transport connectivity.
Moreover, China continues to deepen bilateral relations through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and the development of free trade zones. Through institutional innovations, China steers high-level opening up, better integrating into the global economy and sharing its development opportunities with the world.
China has also vigorously nurtured new drivers for foreign trade, fueling global economic growth with high-quality development. In 2024, China's export volume reached 25.45 trillion yuan (approximately $3.51 trillion), up by 7.1 percent year-on-year, marking the eighth consecutive year of growth. Imports stood at 18.39 trillion yuan (about $2.54 trillion), growing by 2.3 percent and surpassing the global average growth rate by one percentage point.
By providing affordable and high-quality industrial products and offering a massive demand market, China contributes significantly to global economic growth. The country spares no effort in stabilizing foreign trade and investment, continuously tapping into new potentials. Events like the Second China International Supply Chain Expo, held in Beijing in November 2024 under the theme \"Connecting the World for a Shared Future,\" promote industrial and supply chain cooperation globally.
China strengthens exchanges with global traders through international platforms such as the China Import and Export Fair, China International Import Expo, and the Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit. These events bring together people from around the world to cultivate new drivers for foreign trade and expand high-level opening up.
In the realm of digital transformation, China presents fresh opportunities for global economic development. With its advanced infrastructure, vast data resources, and rich digital application scenarios, China holds unique advantages. As of June 2024, over 4,500 AI-related enterprises operate across the country, with the core industry's scale approaching 600 billion yuan and the user base of generative AI products reaching 230 million.
The Chinese government has introduced a series of policy measures encouraging enterprises to accelerate digital transformation. By promoting industrial digitization and digital industrialization, China aims to unlock more digital dividends and promote high-quality economic development. This pursuit not only benefits China's own economy but also stimulates digital transformations in other countries through industrial and supply chains, fostering a new wave of digital revolution in the global economy.
China has made concerted efforts to cut carbon emissions, reduce pollution, pursue green development, and boost economic growth, leading the world in a green transition. Recognizing that \"lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,\" China places equal emphasis on economic benefits and environmental sustainability.
The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference identified one of the top priorities for China's economic work in 2025 as promoting green development. China is actively advancing new energy vehicles and reducing dependence on fossil fuels. According to forecasts by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), sales of new energy passenger cars in China are expected to reach 13.3 million units by 2025, with domestic market penetration hitting 57 percent.
Committed to pollution control, the Chinese government continues efforts to keep skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean. In the first three quarters of 2024, the average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in cities at or above the prefecture level decreased by 3.6 percent year-on-year. Notably, on November 28, 2024, the completion of a 3,046 km green sand control barrier around the Taklamakan Desert marked the establishment of the world's longest green ecological barrier around a desert.
China's efforts in green development not only benefit its own people but also offer valuable experiences and practical guidance for other countries pursuing sustainable growth. By leading the global green transition, China contributes to a shared aspiration of countries worldwide.
China's development is inseparable from the world, and global prosperity also relies on China. Currently, China is accelerating the establishment of a new development paradigm, emphasizing domestic circulation reinforced by international circulation, and working on a new system for a higher-level open economy. With confidence in its path, theory, system, culture, and history, China embraces the world with an open mindset, engaging in political mutual trust, economic and trade interactions, and cultural exchanges with countries across the globe. Looking ahead, China will introduce more innovative measures, offering fresh opportunities to countries worldwide that are pursuing their own development.
Reference(s):
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