MOFCOM holds regular press conference on November 2, 2016.Spokesman Shen Danyang answered questions concerning the hotspot issues from the media at home and abroad. The record is as follows:

1. Recently, the State Council required to further intensify the innovative supervision of responsibility perfection mechanism and to improve the guarantee of food safety. What work has MOFCOM done in this respect? Is there any achievement?

A: Although that the Ministry of Commerce is not responsible for the food safety, since it’s a major issue about people’s life and is of social concern, we have done a lot of work within our scope of duty and have gained preliminary effects.

In accordance with the uniform deployment of the State Council, the Ministry of Commerce has established traceability system for meat, vegetable and other edible farm produce by information technology such as Internet of things, cloud computing and big data. So far, we have realized the goal of tracing the food and ascertaining where the responsibility lies. We also improved the guarantee of food safety through creating safe environment.

Since 2010, the Ministry of Commerce has taken the lead in promoting meat and vegetable traceability system construction. We have organized some eligible cities to conduct meat and vegetable traceability system pilots, relying on city traceability platform and supported by mechanized slaughterhouse, large wholesale markets, standardized vegetable markets, large and medium-sized chain markets and some group consumer units. Moving forwards, the city pilots will be expanded and their product kinds will be increased. So far, efforts have been made to support 58cities to establish meat and vegetable traceability system in five batches and to support 8 breweries in 4 provinces, which is to establish liquor traceability system in two batches. A total of 15,000 enterprises have established traceability system, covering more than 300,000 business operators. A traceability network radiating the country and connecting towns and counties has been basically formed. In cities with pilots being put into use, consumers could search the logistics process and responsibility units of relevant products through trace code on shopping receipt. It has improved the food safety guarantee and modern logistics, increased consumption transparency and consolidated consumers’ confidence.

In accordance with the deployment of the State Council, in recent two years, the Ministry of Commerce also worked with 19 departments like the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture, General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and China Food and Drug Administration. This is to establish traceability system for edible farm produce, food, drug, major agricultural production materials, special equipment, dangerous goods, and rare earth products through the use of information technology. At present, the work division of departments have been made to establish departmental coordination mechanism. Exemplary work in Shandong, Shanghai, Ningxia and Xiamen has been launched from July 2016 and various work is being orderly promoted.

2. Recently, Vice Premier Wang Yang and Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev held the 2nd China’s North-East and Russia’s Far East Local Cooperation Council Meeting, which proposes to strengthen policy docking and expand cooperation areas. What about the trade and economic cooperation between China’s north eastern region and Russia’s far east ? What are the measures for the next step?

A: Vice Premier Wang Yang and Yury Trutnev, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister and President’s full representative in the Federal Region of Russia’s Far East held the 2nd China’s North-East and Russia’s Far East Local Cooperation Council Meeting in Beijing on October 20. During the meeting, the two sides reached consensus on strengthening policy exchanges, planning coordination and project docking in Far East Region, and agreed to reshuffle the council meeting as inter-governmental committee and incorporate it into the mechanism of China-Russia Premiers’ regular meeting, which is to push China-Russia Far East development and cooperation to produce more achievements.

At present, positive progress has been made in China-Russia cooperation in Far East Region. In the first half of 2016, China has risen to be Russia’s largest trading partner in Far East Region. Its trade with China has taken up one fourth of Far East Region’s total trade. The two sides launched s batch of major investment cooperation projects in energy, mineral resources, aviation, vessel, agriculture and forestry and ports construction. They have built several cross-border channels including boundary bridge, river cableway and highway port. And they have constructed several cooperation platforms like China-Russia Expo, China-Northeast Asia Expo and Oriental Economic Forum. Local provinces and states also made closer trade and economic exchanges, and the enthusiasm for business cooperation has increased. China and Russia boast broad prospect for development and cooperation on Far East Region. Moving forward, the two sides will take measures to play the role of inter-governmental and local cooperation mechanism, extend cooperation fields, make good use of financing channels, improve business environment and jointly create an open and inclusive landscape for the development and cooperation in Far East Region.

3. Minister Gao Hucheng attended the 11th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting among the Republic of Korea, Japan and People’s Republic of China on October 29. What topics were discussed at the meeting and what consensus have we made ?

A: We have released the news at the 11th Trilateral Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting among the Republic of Korea, Japan and People’s Republic of China on the official website of the Ministry of Commerce at the earliest time, and I would like to introduce more on it.

This meeting aims to collect fruits for the next China-Japan-ROK Leaders’ Summit, and it has had in-depth talks on implementing the trade and economic achievements of the G20 Summit, conducting trilateral trade and economic cooperation in new areas and new initiative and regional and multilateral trade and economic issues. A series of consensuses have been made. To better reflect the achievement, the trilateral trade ministers released a Joint Statement of the 11th Economic and Trade Ministers’ Meeting among the Republic of Korea, Japan and People’s Republic of China.

On implementing the trade and economic achievements of the G20 Summit, the three parties stressed the importance of the G20 Strategy for Global Trade Growth and the G20 Guiding Principles for Global Investment Policymaking. They also emphasized the G20 trade and investment work group’s role in strengthening the G20 trade and investment cooperation.

On strengthening trilateral cooperation, China made the following proposal: conduct the third party international capacity cooperation and jointly develop the 4th market under the framework of “Belt and Road” initiative and “Eurasian initiative”; make joint efforts to deepen mechanism construction such as the Pan-Yellow Sea Economic and Technological Conference ; support more pragmatic cooperation among local governments of the three parties to promote local economic development. China’s initiative was positively responded by both Japan and ROK. The tri-party approved a joint research report of “strengthening the connectivity of supply chains of the three countries” and agreed to extend the range to ASEAN countries under the framework of “10+3”. The three parties also exchanged views on Olympic economy, e-commerce and energy cooperation.

On multilateral and regional cooperation, the three parties reiterated to accelerate the China-Japan-ROK FTA and RCEP negotiations, jointly fight against protectionism, further strengthen multilateral trade system and positively step up regional economic integration under the framework of APEC and Asia Europe Meeting.

4. Following CHEMCHINA’s failure to acquire Syngenta, Fujian Hong Xin Investment Fund also met check crisis in acquiring AIXTRON SE, AIXA GR. How would MOFCOM comment on it?

A: We have noticed the decision made by German government to withdraw China’s M&A of AIXTRON SE, AIXA GR. In recent years, China’s investment in Germany and the two countries’ cooperation have been developing rapidly. The Chinese investment has created thousands of jobs and great taxation for local people and government, and has brought capital and market channels for German enterprises to expand overseas business as well. In spite of the rapid growth of Chinese investment in Germany, its total volume is still not big. Some successful acquisition cases made by Chinese enterprises in Germany have proved there is no need for some German governmental officials and citizens to worry that China’s investment and acquisition there may take away German technology and job opportunities. .

We hope that the security check launched again by Germany is only a single case and cannot represent Germany’s change of economic policy, because the move is not conducive to the sound development of two-way investment and bilateral trade and economic cooperation. We respect all countries to conduct check under their legal framework and expect them to improve transparency, clarify standard and give all investors equal treatment. We hope the German side could be rational and objective to business moves, and create sound atmosphere for the Chinese enterprises to conduct local investment and promote the sound development of China-Germany trade and economic cooperation in principles of win-win cooperation and common development.

5. On October 18, Australian Anti-dumping Committee announced to suspend the anti-dumping review investigation against Chinese photovoltaic products. Besides, recently, 403 European enterprises and 5 environmental protection organizations have asked the European Commission to immediately suspend the anti-dumping and countervailing measures against Chinese photovoltaic measures，which is to save the photovoltaic cell panel from becoming more expensive and impeding the development of solar energy industry of the EU. How would China comment that?

A: China has noticed that the Australian investigatory apparatus announced last month to decide to suspend the anti-dumping investigations against Chinese photovoltaic products. China appreciated Australia’s move, believing that this not only conforms to the practical situation, helps China and Australia enhance the cooperation in the new energy field, which is to join hands to respond the global climate change and improve the China-Australia trade and economic relationship.

We have noticed that the photovoltaic cases are concerned within the EU and are very controversial. Many enterprises and organization oppose the restrictive measures of the European Commission, thinking that although the EU’s anti-dumping and countervailing measures against Chinese photovoltaic products safeguard the benefits of the minority of enterprises within the EU, they hurt those of the majority. Recently, some members of the European Parliament have declared publicly that the EU’s restrictive measures against Chinese photovoltaic products are the cartel under the support of the European Commission, making the cost of responding to the climate change of the EU more expensive.

China believes that the increasingly severe global climate change is the serious threat and common enemy of the sustainable development of human society. With the common endeavor of many countries globally, the technological level of photovoltaic industry is constantly improved, the price continuously decreased and the completion level with traditional fossil energy is constantly lifted. In recent years, as the EU has adopted trade restriction measures, the market price of photovoltaic products fail in decreasing with the global price synchronously, the market demand shrinks seriously and the importance in the global market is gradually decreasing. If the EU continues to the restrictive measures, the situation would worsen. This goes against the EU’s long-term benefits regarding climate and energy.

China calls on the EU to thoroughly suspend the anti-dumping and countervailing measures of photovoltaic products as soon as possible, which is to recover the photovoltaic market to a normal state and truly realize mutual benefit and win-win result. As the strategic partner and the important trading partner, China and the EU enjoy broad cooperative prospects in many fields. Both sides should pay more attention to cooperation and jointly cultivate a sound environment for the global economic growth and tackling climate change.

6. According to foreign media report, during the Indian “Diwali” in October, some Indian politicians initiated a boycott against Chinese products, calling on the public to resist Chinese goods. How does the MOFCOM comment on this?

A: We have noticed the relevant reports. China and India are important trade and economic partners. In 2015, the China-India trade volume reached US$71.62 billion. Against the background that the global trade shrinks greatly, the trade development of the two countries sees a big reversal and has realized positive growth. In January-September this year, the bilateral trade volume between China and India was US$52.31 billion, continuing to maintain a stable development momentum. These result from the joint efforts of the people from business and industrial circles of the two countries. Chinese products meet the demands of Indian domestic market and the production and living life of the Indian people. A few Indian politicians stir up boycotting Chinese products in order to gain the political capital. This runs against the aspirations of carrying out friendly cooperation between the two countries and realizing mutual benefit and win-win result. This will be unpopular.

As the two big emerging economies with the fastest economic growth of the globe, China and India have large populations, huge markets and complementary economic structures. It conforms to the fundamental benefits of the two countries and the peoples of the two countries to further strengthen trade and economic cooperation. We hope that Indian can adopt necessary measures, control the state of affairs, guide the media to objectively report the win-win trade and economic cooperation situation between China and India, jointly safeguard the friendly cooperation situation and cultivate a favorable atmosphere for the win-win trade and economic cooperation between the two sides.

7. Recently, the first African electrified railway constructed by China is officially in operation. What iconic meaning does this have to the Chinese enterprises which intend to “go abroad?”

A: This railway is the first cross-national electrified railway in Africa and the longest one. Its whole line adopts the second-level electrified railway standards of China, marking the first Chinese cross-national electrified railway project completed by Chinese enterprises abroad, integrating design, procurement, construction, financing, supervision, operation and management into one industrial chain. This railway is lauded by both governments of Ethiopia and Djibouti for its modernized Chinese technical standards, level of equipment and quality. It exerts favorable exemplary influence on the neighboring countries and the whole Africa, sets up new benchmark for the construction of the railway network of Africa and has great significance for Chinese railway standards to “go abroad”.

8. According to information, the amount of the newly signed contractual foreign projects of China and the relevant countries along the line of the “Belt and Road” in the first three quarters this year has increased greatly. Please brief us on that.

A: In the first three quarters of 2016, the business of contracted projects signed by Chinese enterprises and the relevant countries along the line of the “Belt and Road” increased rapidly. The newly-signed contract foreign projects reached 4,191, with a newly-signed contract value of US$74.56 billion, up 26.1% year on year, accounting for 50.4% of the newly-signed contract value of China’s contractual foreign projects in the same period. The contract value of the construction of Egypt’s new capital undertaken by China State Construction Engineering Corporation reached US$2.7 billion, marking the largest contractual project bid by Chinese enterprises in the relevant countries along the line of the “Belt and Road”.

9. “Nov.11” is coming soon and all e-commerce platforms have begun to presell. Does the MOFCOM have any response to those non-standard problems on line such as selling fake and shoddy goods, false discount, false original price, misleading publicity and delaying delivery?

A: Every year, during the “Nov.11”, a large amount of domestic online retailers carry out intense sales promotion. This has become an annual event of the e-commerce industry, winning broad social concerns. In terms of problems such as selling fake and shoddy goods online, we will work with relevant departments to strengthen the supervision over the online trade platforms and severely crack down on violations according to the Responsibilities of Cracking Down on Infringing upon Intellectual Property and Making and Selling Fake and Shoddy Goods of 2016 issued in the beginning of this year. We also formulate the action plan of the law-enforcement cooperation and the joint law-enforcement so as to positively promote the cooperation of law enforcement between regions and departments.

With regard to the normative issues of sales promotion in aspects such as way of promotion, scale, scope and range of online retailer, MOFCOM has done research with the National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce. Relevant department will adopt necessary supervision and control measures.

(All information published on this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only.)