-- Premier Zhu Rongji said China will more
actively open itself wider to the outside world and will
resort to more effective measures in 2000 to promote the
expansion of foreign trade and utilize more foreign funds.
In his work report at the opening meeting of
the Third Session of the Ninth National People's Congress
(NPC), Zhu said that the overall trend in the world's
economic and trade situation is getting better. The process
of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) has
been accelerated.
Zhu said that "we must
also be active in seizing new opportunities and meeting new
challenges."
On foreign trade sector, he
said China will continue to carry out the strategy of
winning success through quality and market diversification
and make great efforts to expand exports.
First, the mix of exports should be adjusted
by increasing the proportion of electromechanical products,
accelerating the upgrading and updating of such traditional
export commodities as textiles, garments and other light
industrial products, and working to increase the
proportion of high-tech products. Agricultural exports
should also be increased.
Second, China should
work actively to open up more markets abroad. In particular,
strong efforts should be made to open up emerging markets in
Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth
of Independent States, and actions should be taken to
develop economic and trade relations with neighboring
countries and other developing countries.
He
said that Chinese enterprises which are relatively strong
should be encouraged to make investments and set up
factories abroad, engage in processing trade and exploit
natural resources through cooperative agreements. Overseas
contracted projects and labor services should be
further expanded.
The premier further noted
that reform of the foreign trade system should be deepened.
Export-oriented enterprises should set up management
mechanisms for expanding access to international markets and
improve their internal management. More producers
should be allowed to engage in export on their own.
The number of types of export commodities subject to
voluntary quotas should be reduced and quota management and
bidding methods should be improved.
"We
should utilize foreign funds effectively. The spheres of
activity and geographical regions open to foreign businesses
should be expanded," he said. Commerce, foreign trade,
banking, insurance, securities, telecommunications, tourism
and intermediary services should gradually be opened to the
outside world.
Restrictions on foreign
investment pertaining to technology transfer, the proportion
of products to be sold domestically and share of holdings in
some industries should be relaxed. Foreign businesses should
be encouraged to invest in agriculture, infrastructure
development, the environmental protection industry, and high
and new technology industries, he said.
Moreover, vigorous efforts should be made to
draw investment from transnational corporations, especially
in research and development and in the reorganization and
technological upgrading of state-owned enterprises, Zhu
said.
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