During February 20 and February 24, Zhong Shan, Vice Minister of Commerce and China International Trade Representative made investigations into foreign trade in Guangdong and Jiangsu, held symposium on foreign trade of Southern China and Eastern China respectively and made on-the-spot investigations into six foreign trade enterprises including Zhongtian Technologies, ShiLing International leather Centrum and Dieshiqiao International Home Textile Centrum.

Zhong Shan said during his investigation that, the foreign trade this year was faced with a severe and complicated situation and arduous tasks. We should not only observe adverse factors and challenges like difficult recovery of world economy, increase of international trade disputes, weakening of China’s traditional advantages and trade facilitations that need improvement, but also favorable factors and opportunities like the pickup of international demands, the strengthening of comprehensive competitive power of foreign trade and continuous optimization of foreign trade environment. Local commercial departments should follow the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, further deepen reform and expand opening up; adhering to the keynote of seeking improvement in stability and aiming at “stabilize growth and adjust structure”, optimize foreign trade development environment and breed new competitive advantages of foreign trade so as to improve the development of foreign trade.

Zhong Shan pointed out that, in 2014, commercial authorities should make efforts in three aspects on foreign trade: firstly, strive to cultivate new competitive advantages centering on technology, brand, quality and service, which were not only an urgent task for the sustainable development of foreign trade and realizing the transformation from large country to strong country, but also an inevitable requirement for expanding opening up and improving open economy, as well as an important method to transform pattern and adjust structure. Secondly, steadily promote "Five Optimizations and Three Constructions". Continue to optimize vigorously international market layout, domestic regional layout, operating entities, structures of exported products and trade pattern; accelerate the construction of foreign trade production bases, trade platforms for specific market for combining domestic and foreign trade, cross-border e-commerce, international exhibitions and import promotion and international marketing network. Thirdly, keep the stability of foreign trade policies, constantly optimize development environment for foreign trade and improve trade facilitations. He hoped that local commercial departments and foreign trade enterprises could improve confidence and work steadily so as to ensure the stable growth of foreign trade this year.

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