Mr. Gao first reviewed business work in 2013. He said, since this year, the Ministry of Commerce has fully implemented the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and has steadily carried out various work under very complicated situations. Progress has been made whilst stability has been maintained in domestic and foreign trade and international economic cooperation, which have vigorously promoted the economic development and improvement of people’s livelihood, and thus further improving China’s influence on and power of discourse in international economic and trade affairs. Steady growth has been seen in household consumption, and it is estimated that the annual total retail sales of consumer goods will reach about RMB 23.8 trillion, going up by more than 13%. Foreign trade has reached a new level, and it is estimated that the annual total import and export volume will reach USD 4.14 trillion, going up by more than 7%, with the shares of export in the international market increasing. The trade in services has exceeded USD 520 billion. The level of two-way investment has been enhanced, and the annual foreign investment actually utilized is predicted to reach USD 117 billion, increasing by about 5%, with the proportion of the service sector increased. The non-financial foreign direct investments grew by about 15% to USD 88 billion, with increasing large cross-border mergers and acquisitions. New achievements have been made in multilateral and regional economic cooperation, which promoted the conclusion of the “Early Harvest” agreement during the Doha Round Negotiations of the World Trade Organization. Free trade agreements have been made with Iceland and Switzerland, and zero breakthrough has been achieved with European countries in the construction of free trade areas. This year marks the first year of the new administration, and we have focused on optimizing structure, improving quality and benefits, and well developing system and mechanism construction so that expected goals of business development have been basically achieved.

  Gao pointed out that business work in 2014 includes thoroughly implementing the spirits of the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Central Economic Working Conference, sticking to the principle of making progress while maintaining stability and carrying out reform and innovation, better coordinating both the domestic and international situations, speeding up the construction of a new mechanism of open economy, actively cultivating new competitive advantages in international economic cooperation, deepening the reform of domestic trade circulation system and constructing the environment of business under the rule of law to promote the quality and benefits of business development to make progress while maintaining stability, and to make new contributions to the economic and social development.

  First, to implement the spirits of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China by fully deepening the reform in the business sector.

  To deepen the reform of domestic trade circulation system. We will properly carry out work related to the elimination of regional blockades and breaking of industrial monopolies, and focus on solving such prominent problems as restricting the access of non-local commodities to local market and setting up customs barriers to prevent the import and export of commodities. With respect to the foreign economic system reform, we will propel customs clearance facilitation reform, innovate the management mode of processing trade, consider the modification to the “Three Laws” concerning foreign investment, the negotiation on bilateral investment agreement and reform of foreign investment management system as a whole, and explore to establish the new management mode of “Filing plus Approval”. We will ease access of foreign investment, modify overseas investment management measures, and further simplify procedures for approval. In addition, we will promote the pilot work of overseas investments by individuals.

  Second, to actively participate in the formulation of international economic and trade rules, and to promote reform and transformation by way of opening up.

  To accelerate the implementation of free trade area strategies. We will actively promote negotiations on China-ROK, China-Japan-ROK and China-Australia free trade areas, push forward the negotiation on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, and carry out negotiation on updated China-ASEAN Free Trade Area. Meanwhile, we will advance the negotiations on China-U.S. and China-Europe investment agreements, and will seize the favorable opportunity brought about by the conclusion of the “Early Harvest” agreement during Doha Round Negotiations to earnestly fulfill the commitment of trade facilitation.

  To expand opening up to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions. We will accelerate the realization of basic liberalization of trade in services with Hong Kong and Macao, and the conclusion of new supplementary agreements to the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with businessmen from Hong Kong and Macao. We will strive to accomplish the conclusion of the agreement on cross-straits trade in goods and dispute settlement through negotiation as soon as possible, promote the implementation of the agreement on trade in services, upgrade the level of cross-straits cooperation in institutionalization, as well as push forward the establishment of offices in the Mainland and cross-straits by Association of Economy and Trade Across Taiwan Straits.

  Thirdly, to perfect the general layout of domestic trade circulation and improve the level of modernization of circulation.
 To strengthen the guidance on domestic trade planning. We will accelerate perfecting the domestic trade circulation planning system, which is guided by national planning, led by the development planning, centered on special planning and based on network planning, and advance the release of the layout and planning of node cities of circulation nationwide as well as the development planning of the agricultural products market.

  To optimize the layout of circulation infrastructures. We will vigorously enhance the construction of circulation facilities, promote the construction of circulation strategic channel and backbone network, start the construction of demonstration cities for modern circulation of agricultural products and demonstration projects for agricultural products cold chain, push forward the introduction of the Administrative Measures for the Business Network, support various regions in strengthening the configuration of community commercial network, and improve comprehensive service function, launch work related to the demonstration of featured trade towns and perfect the logistics service system in rural areas.

  To vigorously develop modern circulation. We will focus on the construction of basic environment for e-commerce, standardize the online trade order, continue promoting the comprehensive pilot of modern service industry, speed up the development of commercial and trade logistics and promote public service construction pilot of small- and medium-sized commerce and trade circulation enterprises to accelerate the formation of the service system of three-level linkage (ministerial, provincial and city levels).

  To actively cultivate new points of consumption growth. We will study and perfect consumption policies, further expand information, pension and health consumption, promote the consumption of such hot commodities as new electronic products, intelligent appliances and energy-efficient vehicles, and encourage the development of new patterns of consumption; expand living and service consumption, explore to establish community integrated service centers in large cities, accelerate the development of popular catering, and perfect the housekeeping service system construction; guide enterprises to innovate designs and improve services, create brand marketing, promotion, protection and information public service platform, expand consumption of self-owned brands; continue to organize and carry out the nationwide consumption promotion month campaign.

  Fourth, to rectify and standardize market order and build a legalized business environment.

  To focus on the rectification of market orders. We will mainly conduct rectifications in high incidence areas of cases concerning counterfeiting and sales of counterfeits, to online sales of counterfeits and spread of piracies, imports and exports of counterfeited and inferior commodities, and eliminate cross-border industrial chain of counterfeiting and sales of counterfeits; enhance the comprehensive law enforcement for commerce, and standardize the law enforcement; promote the connection between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice as well as the supporting work mechanism; accelerate the disclosure of information concerning administrative penalty of infringement and counterfeiting cases to the society; urge and supervise grassroots law enforcement departments to disclose information proactively; promote the establishment of blacklist system; continue to vigorously promote the construction of tracking systems for meat, vegetables, Chinese traditional medicinal crops and wines and alcohol; standardize the order of drug circulation; lead the special rectification for TV shopping industry; study and formulate rules and regulations for sales from non-fixed locations and enhance the management of business prepaid cards.

  To promote the construction of business integrity. We will accelerate the construction of credit records collection system and credit assessment system, improve the credit information database and promote information sharing among industries and governmental departments; encourage enterprises in good standing to expand their sizes of credit sales and guide local governments to formulate measures for credit consumption promotion; support the development of commercial credit service industries such as commerce factoring and credit insurance.

  To enhance and improve market regulation. We will continue to improve the market supervision and regulation system, and establish a “large data” service system centering on governmental data, supplemented by social data and covering domestic and foreign markets; further improve the important commodity reserve system that combines central reserve, local reserve and commercial reserve to guarantee the stable operation of the market.
 Fifthly, to accelerate the adjustment of import and export structure and cultivate new competitive advantages of foreign trade.

  To maintain stable growth of foreign trade. We will continue to stabilize the export rebate policies and accelerate the progress of tax rebates; establish a normalization mechanism for the special policy of financing insurance for export of large complete equipment; exert the driving role of large complete equipment export for related industries; make innovations in the method of import discount and increase imports of advanced technology and key equipment; and increase imports of energy resources and materials required by China.

  To cultivate new competitive advantages of foreign trade. We will support the development of large foreign trade comprehensive service enterprises; accelerate the cultivation of cross-border e-commerce, expand market procurement trade and form new growth points of foreign trade; support key industries such as automobile, shipping and motorcycle industries to establish and perfect overseas marketing network and after-sale services, promote proprietary brand enterprises to register trademarks and patents overseas; continue to encourage the orderly transference of processing trade to inland areas; further facilitate domestic sales and lead key leading trade enterprises to be transformed to marketing enterprises.

  To accelerate the development of trade in services. We will consolidate export of traditional services such as transportation and tourism; support the export of emerging services such as insurance, communications, research and development and design; actively expand the export of featured services such as culture, art, journalism, education and Chinese traditional medicine; promote the promulgation of policies and measures to accelerate the development of trade in services and formulate guideline directories for key service export fields; continue to promote the development of service outsourcing; formulate the promulgation of new rounds of incentive policies and encourage the introduction of top talents.

  To properly cope with trade frictions. We will continue to intensify the overall friction coping mechanism involving departments, local governments, industries and enterprises; carry out assessment of industrial competitiveness and industrial safety pre-warning; carry out trade relief in accordance with the law and safeguard the rights and interests of China.

  Sixthly, to further optimize the investment environment and improve the level of “introducing in and going out”.

  To broaden the industry access of foreign capital. We will promote the orderly opening of service industry; promote the access restrictions on foreign capital to fields such as nurturing and endowment, architectural design, commerce, trade and logistics and e-commerce; seize time to sort out items restricted in the guidance catalogue of industries for foreign investment and special industry policies, and put forward opinions on expanding the opening in concert with industry competent authorities.

  To improve the environment of foreign investment. We will formulate and standardize the administrative measures for investment introduction, clear and standardize preferential policies on investment introduction, protect the lawful rights and interests of investors and guarantee the fair competition of domestic and foreign enterprises; enhance the construction of investment promotion institutions, improve domestic and overseas investment promotion networks; establish the comprehensive assessment system for investment environment, study the key incentive policies for foreign investment research and development centers and introduce advanced technologies and research and development talents.

  To continue to construct overseas economic and trade cooperative zones. We will prepare country-specific comprehensive guidance for industrial investment in the cooperative zones, make innovations in development modes in the cooperative zones and support domestic development zones to participate in investment, construction and management.

  To improve the investment cooperation and guarantee mechanism. We will formulate and carry out key field, regional and country-specific planning, improve investment-oriented policies, improve the monitoring and reporting systems on statistics of foreign investment and cooperation, and improve the tracking and assessment system for overseas investment; perfect the risk prevention mechanism for foreign investment and cooperation, enhance country-specific risk assessment and safety pre-warning; and standardize overseas competition of enterprises.

  Seventhly, to deepen multilateral economic and trade cooperation and serve the general situation of economic diplomacy.

  To participate in global economic governance actively. We will center on the topics and issues determined by the central authorities, make good preparations for the ministerial conferences of APEC, accelerate the promotion of the liberation and facilitation of trade and investment in Asia-Pacific region, vigorously conduct economic and technical cooperation, promote the leadership and influence of China in regional cooperation, and establish result basis for the unofficial meetings of leaders; actively participate in 2014 G20 summit and conduct dialogues on economic and trade; carry out the Framework of Trade and Investment Cooperation of BRICS; deepen economic and trade cooperation with surrounding and developing countries and practically promote sub-regional economic and trade cooperation.

  Eighthly, to promote the construction of “one belt and one road” and form a comprehensive pattern of opening.
 To promote the construction of economic belt of the Silk Road. We will utilize existing various multilateral and bilateral economic and trade cooperation mechanisms, clarify key cooperation fields and projects, improve the level of trade and investment facilitation, support qualified countries to construct overseas economic and trade cooperation zones and discuss the construction of free trade zones with countries along the road to promote the smoothness of economy and trade.

  To promote the construction of 21st century Maritime Silk Road. We will insist on the planning for land and sea, the east and the west to realize effective connection with the economic belt of the Silk Road; accelerate construction for connection of maritime channels; promote and carry out the bilateral trade investment agreements with countries along the road, to improve the level of facilitation of trade investment; establish a prefect platform for regional economic and trade cooperation, expand cooperative fields of trade investment and actively conduct promoting activities for trade investment to improve the cooperation level and accelerate the construction of regional free trade zones along the road.

  To expand the opening along the border. We will accelerate the construction of large channels around the border, promote the circulation and gathering of products, services and production elements; construct opening and development platforms and establish border and cross-border economic cooperation zones in mature border areas; actively develop featured and advantageous industries, and focus on the development of import and export processing industry with neighbor countries, overseas resource import and export processing industry, international logistics industry and cross-border tourism, support the construction of industry transference model zones in the central and western regions, actively undertake the manufacturing industries from the eastern regions and beyond the borders and form industrial supports for the open economic development along the borders.

  At last, Mr. Gao Hucheng emphasized, we shall profoundly understand the Central spirits, establish the strategic concepts as a big power in socialist economy and trade with Chinese characteristics. We will enhance the studies on domestic and foreign trade theories, improve the abilities to focus on and seize important matters and give play to the zeal of the Center and the local governments to form the cohesion for reform and innovation in commerce; accelerate the transformation of governmental roles, and handle affairs in strict accordance with the system and rules; consolidate the results of activities of educational practices and gain reliance from the people with decisive styles. Next year, we will, based on the midterm assessment on the “12th five-year” plan for commerce development, continue to seize the implementation of major targets, key tasks and important policies, and meanwhile, focus on the preparation for the “13th five-year” plan and conduct researches on relevant key issues.

  About 200 persons including members of CPC organization of the Ministry of Commerce, ambassadors to the World Trade Organization, comrades in charge of competent authorities of commerce of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government, cities directly under State planning and Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, comrades in charge of various units subordinate to the Ministry of Commerce and various commercial societies, and representatives of the Central Committee of the CPC, the State Council and specially invited enterprises participated in the Conference. The Conference has lasted for two days, and the participants made deep communications and discussions on commerce work in the next year.