Opportunities for the world – Macau Today

For Liu Xianfa

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China successfully concluded in Beijing. The “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Further Comprehensively Deepening China’s Modernization Reform” is the most important outcome of this plenary session, which constitutes a new deployment of China’s reform and opening up and sends a strong message to the world. In the new era, China is unswervingly promoting reform and opening up, and creating more opportunities for the world.

Reform and opening up are important tools for the leapfrog development of the cause of the Party and the Chinese people. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee was also of epoch-making significance. It opened a new journey of systematically and comprehensively advancing the deepening of reform in the new era and opened a new chapter in China’s reform and opening up. The Central Committee established the Commission for Deepening Comprehensive Reform, which was personally led by General Secretary Xi Jinping and presided over 72 meetings of the Commission for Deepening Comprehensive Reform. More than 2,000 plans to strengthen, expand and deepen reform were introduced. Reform measures in various fields have significantly taken China’s opening up to a new level.

From the establishment of 22 free trade pilot zones and Hainan Free Trade Port, to the signing and entry into force of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, to the construction of a global high-standard free trade zone network, from repeatedly shortening and canceling the negative list for foreign investment, reducing market access restrictions in the service sectors such as telecommunications and health, from promoting high-quality “Belt and Road” cooperation to building an international market economic and trade cooperation platform, such as the China International Import Expo, the China International Service Trade Expo, and the China International Consumer Goods Expo, important measures to expand high-quality opening up have enabled China’s development to benefit the international community and make the world optimistic about China’s development prospects. China has been the world’s largest trading country in goods for seven consecutive years, and the world’s largest exporter and second largest importer for 15 consecutive years. It has ranked among the top three sources of foreign investment in the world for 11 consecutive years. 155 countries and regions around the world are beneficiaries of China’s financing.

China’s modernization is constantly advancing in the reform and opening up, and it will certainly have broad prospects. The current and future period is a critical period for us to build a great country, promote China’s modernization and fully realize national rejuvenation. To cope with the complex internal and external environment, adapt to the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, and meet the people’s new expectations, the key is to continue to promote reform. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized that the overall goal of further deepening reform is to continuously improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics and realize the modernization of the national system and governance capabilities.

By 2035, China will have fully built a high-level socialist market economic system, further improved the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, fully modernized the national governance system and governance capacity, and basically realized socialist modernization. All of this will lay a solid foundation for my country to fully build a socialist modern power by the middle of this century. Steadily advancing reform, we will focus on building a high-level socialist market economy, comprehensively advancing people’s democracy, building a socialist cultural power, improving people’s quality of life, building a beautiful China, and promoting a peaceful China, and the Party’s long-term leadership and governance capabilities. To achieve these reform goals, the resolution has formulated reform plans in specific areas such as economy, politics, culture, society, environmental protection, national security, national defense and military construction, involving more than 300 specific measures. The “Decision” clearly states that the reform tasks must be completed by the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2029.

China’s modernization is on the path of peaceful development. The Decision solemnly affirms that China firmly adheres to an independent foreign policy of peace and is committed to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. We will uphold the common values ​​of all mankind, promote global development initiatives, global security initiatives, and global civilization initiatives, call for the construction of an equal and orderly multipolar world, and promote inclusive economic globalization. Deepen the reform of the foreign affairs system and lead the reform and development of the global governance system. We will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, and create a good external environment for further deepening reforms in an all-round way and promoting national modernization.

In addition, China’s reform and modernization will bring more development opportunities. The important reform measures proposed in the Decision include continuously expanding institutional opening-up, deepening structural reform of foreign trade, deepening reform of domestic and foreign investment management systems, optimizing regional opening-up preparations, and improving regional opening-up mechanisms. High-quality cooperation. I believe that the implementation of these measures will improve various systems and mechanisms, remove obstacles, provide a continuous source of power for China’s modernization, and create more opportunities for China to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and achieve common prosperity and development with other countries in the world. In the first half of 2024, China’s economy accelerated and improved, with GDP growing by 5% and investment in high-tech fields growing by 10.6%.

The International Monetary Fund has raised its forecast for China’s economic growth in 2024. The global business community has also expressed a more optimistic attitude towards China’s economic prospects, with the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in China increasing by 14.2%. China welcomes all countries to actively integrate into the Chinese market, share China’s development opportunities, achieve common development, and benefit people of all countries in the world.

Macao plays a key role in China’s comprehensive deepening of reform. The Decision emphasizes supporting Hong Kong and Macao in building international high-level talent centers, improving relevant mechanisms, allowing the two special administrative regions to play a more important role in the country’s opening up, encouraging Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao cooperation and Macao’s integration into the Greater Bay Area, and promoting closer docking of rules and mechanisms.

The Special Envoy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will fully support all sectors of Macao society in implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, further give play to the principle of “one country, two systems” in Macao and the unique advantages of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Its role as an international cooperation platform. Promote Macao to cultivate high-quality new productive forces, promote moderate economic diversification in accordance with the 1+4 plan through scientific and technological innovation and industrial modernization, and develop the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone in the Mainland.

In the 25 years since its return to the motherland, Macao has enjoyed the greatest constitutional advantage of “one country, two systems”, broad development space, a highly international business environment, a strong economic foundation, and the advantages of diverse culture and traditional culture.

I believe that by leveraging these advantages and seizing the new opportunities brought by deepening reform and opening up, Macau’s golden business card as an international metropolis can and will be further polished!