Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, presides over the 44th biweekly consultative meeting of the 14th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing on May 8. [Photo by Jiang Guidong/CPPCC Daily]

The 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held its 44th biweekly consultative meeting in Beijing on May 8, focusing on promoting innovative development of trade and accelerating China's transformation into a trader of quality.

Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, presided over the meeting.

Wang noted that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has steadfastly advanced high-level opening-up, made arrangements for turning the country into a trader of quality, and addressed a series of major risks and challenges, achieving historic progress in China's foreign trade development.

Wang said the CPPCC should focus its efforts on enhancing the resilience and security of China's trade development, optimizing and upgrading trade in goods, expanding trade in services, advancing reform and innovation in digital trade, and improving trade promotion policies, systems and mechanisms, among other key issues.

He urged the CPPCC to deepen research into these issues through inspections, surveys, proposals, and public opinion reports, so as to better promote high-quality trade development, foster new drivers of foreign trade growth, and prevent and defuse risks in the trade sector.

CPPCC members who are economists, entrepreneurs and professionals from related fields should leverage their positions and expertise to play a greater role in promoting innovative development of trade, he added.

Ten CPPCC National Committee members delivered speeches at the meeting. They noted the need to consolidate strengths, shore up weak links, and build a new system for a higher-standard open economy.

They also called for balancing traditional and emerging markets, advancing both market diversification and the integration of domestic and foreign trade, promoting coordinated development of trade and investment, and fostering balanced growth in imports and exports.

The participants further suggested that China improve overseas comprehensive service systems, refine support mechanisms for foreign investment, expand the scope for two-way investment cooperation, and enhance trade facilitation.

CPPCC National Committee vice-chairpersons Hu Chunhua, Mu Hong, Xian Hui, Wang Dongfeng, Jiang Zuojun and He Baoxiang attended the meeting.

Officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the People's Bank of China, and the General Administration of Customs briefed the meeting participants on relevant matters and held consultative exchanges with the participating CPPCC National Committee members.