1. Grasping the Era’s Connotation and Strategic Significance of High-Level Opening-Up
High-level opening-up is a key measure to promote high-quality development and serve Chinese-style modernization. Currently, the world is undergoing a century of rapid changes, with rising unilateralism and protectionism, and profound transformations in the global economic governance system. In this context, unwaveringly expanding high-level opening-up is not only an inevitable choice in response to the historical trend of economic globalization but also an intrinsic requirement for our country to build a new development pattern and enhance new advantages in international cooperation and competition.
The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly states to “adhere to high-level opening-up,” and the 2023 Central Economic Work Conference further deploys to “expand high-level opening-up.” It is essential to deeply understand that high-level opening-up is not only about the expansion of trade and investment scale but also about the deepening of institutional opening in terms of rules, regulations, management, and standards. It is a critical path to upgrade from factor flow-based opening to institutional opening. Its core lies in aligning with international high-standard economic and trade rules to create a first-class business environment characterized by marketization, rule of law, and internationalization, enhancing the synergistic effects of domestic and international markets and resources, and injecting new momentum into economic and social development.
2. Clarifying the Practical Path and Key Tasks of High-Level Opening-Up
(1) Steadily Expanding Institutional Opening
We should actively align with high-standard international economic and trade rules such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), deepen institutional reforms in areas such as intellectual property, environmental protection, e-commerce, and government procurement, and build a legal and regulatory system that is compatible with high-level opening-up. Promote the enhancement strategy of free trade pilot zones, support Shanghai, Guangdong, Hainan, and other free trade pilot zones and ports to conduct stress tests, and generate more replicable and promotable institutional innovation results.
(2) Promoting Trade and Investment Optimization and Upgrading
Consolidate the foundation of foreign trade, expand trade in intermediate goods, green trade, and digital trade, and cultivate new business formats such as cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses. Increase the openness of the service industry, and orderly promote the relaxation of market access in telecommunications, healthcare, education, and other fields. Implement the complete removal of foreign investment access restrictions in the manufacturing sector, ensuring that foreign enterprises can participate equally in government procurement and standard-setting according to the law.
(3) Optimizing the Regional Opening Layout
Strengthen the leading role of the eastern coastal regions in opening-up, and support the central and western regions in leveraging their industrial and locational advantages to create inland open highlands. Promote the internal and external linkage of land and sea, mutual assistance between the east and west, improve the connectivity network of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and deepen cooperation with key regions such as ASEAN, Central Asia, and BRICS countries.
(4) Coordinating Opening-Up and Security
Improve systems for foreign investment security review, export control, and cross-border data flow management, enhancing the resilience and security level of the industrial and supply chains. Perfect the risk prevention and control system, dynamically maintain national economic security, data security, and industrial security while expanding opening-up.