CCPIT Annual Meeting 2020 Opens in Beijing

CCPIT

CCPIT Annual Meeting 2020 Opens in Beijing

The CCPIT Annual Meeting 2020 was convened in Beijing on February 2. The meeting， following the guidance of Xi Jinpings Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era， and which was tasked with thoroughly implementing the principles of the Partys 19th National Congress and the second， third， fourth and fifth plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee， and earnestly putting into practice the arrangements of the Central Economic Work Conference， reviewed the annual performance of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade（CCPIT） in terms of trade promotion during 2020， and deployed key tasks for 2021. CCPIT Chairperson Gao Yan delivered the keynote speech at the meeting， which was moderated by Vice Chairman Lu Pengqi.

The meeting concluded that in the past year， the CCPIT achieved good coordination between pandemic control and the high-quality development of trade promotion， did solid work to ensure stability on the six fronts and security in the six areas， actively performed its duties， tackled difficulties with courage， deepened reform and boosted innovation， achieved new progress and new results in the field of trade promotion， and made positive contributions to stabilizing the economic fundamentals and taking new steps in the sphere of opening-up.

The meeting emphasized that CCPITs goal for 2021 is to improve its working style and focus on implementation. The CCPIT should align its thoughts and actions with the spirit expressed in General Secretary Xi Jinpings important speech and the Party Central Committees arrangements， deepen its understanding of new situations and new requirements， continue to shoulder new responsibilities， deepen reform on a higher starting point， advance opening up and provide service at a higher level， construct new development paradigms with a promising beginning and a new look， and celebrate the Partys 100th anniversary with its excellent performance.

Virtual Institutional Work Meeting on Multilateral and Bilateral Commerce & Industry Cooperation 2021 Opens

The Virtual Institutional Work Meeting on Multilateral and Bilateral Commerce & Industry Cooperation 2021 was held on January 28th in Beijing. Zhang Shaogang， Vice Chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade and the China Chamber of International Commerce （CCOIC）， and Yu Jianlong， CCOIC Secretary General， attended the meeting.

Zhang Shaogang said in his speech that institutional work is an important aspect and effective resource of trade promotion. CCPITs institutional work in 2020 was difficult， but saw encouraging results. In 2021， the CCPIT and its sub-councils and branches will continue to work together to ensure the performance of institutional work， make greater achievements and better serve the high-quality development of trade promotion work.

Yu Jianlong noted in his speech that in 2021， CCOIC， which is centered around fostering a new development paradigm， will tap into its institutional potential and work with the CCPIT sub-councils to advance institutional work in order to contribute more to the development of trade promotion.

The CCOIC departments for multilateral and bilateral cooperation respectively reported on their institutional work in 2020 and their plans for institutional work in 2021. The CCPIT sub-councils in Hubei， Hunan， Chongqing， Yunnan， Dalian and Qingdao shared their experiences with institutional work. The CCPIT sub-councils in Jiangxi， Sichuan and Guangdong also put forward suggestions regarding institutional work.

CCPIT Chairperson Gao Yan Attends Opening Ceremony of China-Italy Business Dialog

On December 11， 2020， Gao Yan， Chairperson of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade， attended the opening ceremony of the China-Italy Business Dialog in Beijing and delivered a speech.

Gao Yan said that since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Italy 50 years ago， bilateral economic and trade cooperation has been continuously promoted. As the two countries joint efforts in building the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） grow in both depth and substance， the economic complementarity and cooperation potential between the two sides in terms of trade， manufacturing， infrastructure， third-party markets and other areas will be fully revealed. The CCPIT stands ready to work with the Italian Embassy in China and other organizations to tap into the potential for bilateral trade， promote the high-quality development of trade cooperation， build bridges between governments and businesses， and foster a law-based， market-oriented and international business environment. Next year， the CCPIT will actively participate in and will firmly support Italys B20 process. It also hopes to join hands with the Italian business community， including the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and Italian enterprises， so as to speak out loud about upholding multilateralism， improving global economic governance and promoting inclusive and sustainable growth of the global economy， in order to promote Italys fruitful achievements in the B20 and G20.

The Dialog was co-hosted by the Italian Embassy in Beijing， China， the Italian Trade Agency （ITA）， and the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce （CICC）. Manlio Di Stefano， Italian Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation， and Carlo Ferro， President of the ITA， delivered video speeches； Luca Ferrari， Italian ambassador to China， and Paolo Bazzoni， Chairman of the CICC， delivered speeches on site. Approximately 200 people from both the Chinese and Italian business communities attended the event.

FIGURES

90 billion

A total of 6，072 China-Europe freight trains have passed through the border port of Erenhot in north Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region since 2013. The trains carried approximately 4.82 million tons of goods worth over RMB 90 billion， said Erenhot customs， which has been handling China-Europe freight trains since 2013.

5.4%

The sales revenue of Chinas catering sector during the Spring Festival period was 5.4% higher than it was during the Spring Festival in 2019， indicating that the sector is returning to preCOVID-19 levels.

48.5%

The 30-day period of online shopping， which ran from Jan. 20 to Feb. 18， saw online catering sales skyrocket by 48.5% compared with the same period in 2020， according to the Ministry of Commerce.

20

This year， China plans to set up 20 more centers nationwide to offer quicker services and reduce the duration and cost of intellectual property rights （IPR） protection， according to the countrys IPR watchdog.

6.2%

FDI into the Chinese mainland， in actual use， expanded by 6.2% year-onyear to a record high of nearly RMB 1 trillion in 2020， said the Ministry of Commerce. In terms of US dollars， the inflow went up by 4.5% year-onyear to USD 144.37 billion.

1%

The China Bulk Merchandise Index， a gauge of domestic bulk commodity market growth， stood above the boom-or-bust line of 100% at 101.1% in January， up 1%， according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

1.17 billion

Chinas iron ore imports hit a record 1.17 billion metric tons in 2020， with the average import price up 7.3% year-on-year to USD 101.7 per ton， which analysts say reflects the robust demand seen in the downstream steel market and the continued and stable recovery of the Chinese economy.

485.8 billion

Chinas online education sector is expected to have achieved a higher sales revenue of RMB 485.8 billion by the end of last year. In 2019， the revenue was RMB 387 billion.

2，553

Statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China showed that the countrys civil aviation sector handled a total of 2，553 overseas cargo flights during the seven-day holiday between February 11 and February 17.

2.88 billion

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic， China saw 2.88 billion domestic trips made by tourists in 2020， which was a slump of 52.1% year-on-year， according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

39.43%

Thailands export value of fruit products to China surged by 39.43% year-onyear in 2020， despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

4.5 trillion

Chinese insurers premium income totaled RMB 4.5 trillion （approximately USD 699 billion） in 2020， up 6.1% yearon-year.

QUOTES

In the past year， we have witnessed tens of thousands of SMEs go out of business， and numerous firms are struggling to survive. At this critical time， we believe this is the darkness before the dawn.

— Zhou Dewen， economist and Deputy Head of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises

While ensuring the strict prevention and control of the pandemic， China has encouraged enterprises to resume work and production， which has not only guaranteed the industrial and supply chains of foreign enterprises， but has also boosted their confidence in investing in China.

— Zhan Xiaoning， an official in charge of Investment and Enterprises at UNCTAD

Continued policy support is needed to secure the recovery， with the policy mix needing to be calibrated to strengthen private demand and address financial vulnerabilities.

— IMF experts wrote in a report in January

The Two Sessions， the annual gatherings of the countrys top legislature and political advisory body， would demonstrate to the public that China is focusing on high-quality growth， and not just chasing after a numerical target.

— Iris Pang， chief China economist at Dutch bank ING

The latest data shows that recent local COVID-19 cases have not impeded the overall recovery of Chinas economy， and economic growth may speed up substantially in the coming months.

— Tang Jianwei， chief researcher at the Bank of Communications Financial Research Center

Duty-free shopping is expected to become the new blockbuster growth point for Hainans tourism industry and for the development of Hainan as an international tourism center.

— Xie Xiangxiang， an associate professor of tourism at Hainan University

POLICIES

State Council Releases Guidelines to Boost Green， Low Emission Economy

The State Council has released guidelines for accelerating the development of a green and low-carbon circular economic development system.

The guidelines emphasize that efforts must be made to firmly implement the new development philosophy， boost efficiency in terms of the use of resources， strengthen the protection of the ecological environment， and effectively control greenhouse gas emissions.

By 2025， China will see a marked rise in the scale of green industries， a continued drop in major pollutants， and a slashed carbon emission intensity， according to the guidelines.

By 2035， according to the framework set out in the guidelines， energy and resource utilization efficiency in key industries and for key products is expected to reach an internationally-advanced level， and the goal to build a beautiful China will basically have been reached.

In order to meet these targets， the document outlines key measures， including the development of green and low-carbon production， consumption and circulation systems.

China has announced that it will strive to have carbon dioxide emissions peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Cross-Border Paperless Deal to Boost Chinas Trade Facilitation

The Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-border Paperless Trade in Asia and the Pacific， which came into force on Sunday， will further enhance Chinas trade facilitation， the Ministry of Commerce said.

The agreement will give full play to Chinas advantage as an ultra-large market and will provide broader market opportunities for Asia-Pacific members， said an official with the Ministrys Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs.

As members of the deal are all countries along the Belt and Road， the development of cross-border paperless trade will greatly promote the interconnection of Asia-Pacific trade， the official said.

Initiated by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific （ESCAP）， the agreement is the first multilateral cross-border paperless deal under the UN framework.

Besides China， nearly 30 members of ESCAP have pledged to join the deal， including Russia， the Republic of Korea， India and Indonesia.

The treaty aims to accelerate the implementation of digital trade facilitation measures for trade and development. It is designed to be an inclusive instrument which is accessible for countries at all levels of development to allow them to develop their capacity to engage in cross-border paperless trade， according to ESCAP.

China Overtakes US as EUs Biggest Trading Partner

Last year， China overtook the United States as the European Unions biggest trading partner， according to data released by the EU statistics agency Eurostat on Monday.

The EU saw an increase in both imports and exports with China， with the trade volume reaching 586 billion euros （USD 706 billion） in 2020. The bloc imported 383.5 billion euros of goods from China， up 5.6% year-on-year； while its exports to China reached 202.5 billion euros， a yearly increase of 2.2%.

At the same time， the EUs trade with the United States recorded a significant drop in both imports（-13.2%） and exports （-8.2%） to 202 billion euros and 353 billion euros， respectively， said Eurostat.

Chinas rapid recovery from the coronavirus pandemic boosted its consumption， which helped to drive sales of European products， particularly in the automobile and luxury goods sectors， Agence France-Presse （AFP） reported on Monday. Moreover， Chinas exports to Europe benefited from the strong demand for medical equipment and electronics.

The investment deal that China and the EU are seeking to ratify would also give European companies better access to the Chinese market， AFP said.