Sustainably Expand Higher-Standard Opening Up

Opening up is a distinct hallmark of Chinese-path modernization. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we actively adapted to the new realities of economic globalization and steadily achieved new progress and new results in opening up. The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, [1]1 The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC was held in July 2024, focusing on comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese modernization. coordinating the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the changes unseen in a century in the world, [2]2 “Changes unseen in a century” refers to the profound shifts in the global balance of power, governance systems, and technological paradigms since the early 21st century. made top-level design and strategic planning for expanding high-standard opening up and creating a new situation of win-win cooperation during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, [3]3 The 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030) is the next five-year national development plan, succeeding the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025). sending a strong signal of promoting reform and development through opening up and sharing opportunities and pursuing common development with all countries in the world. In the next five years, we must accurately grasp the rich connotations of high-standard opening up, focus on institutional opening up as the key, concentrate on crucial areas, and actively and proactively raise China’s opening up to a new level.

开放是中国式现代化的鲜明标识。“十四五”时期，我们主动适应经济全球化新形势，推动对外开放不断取得新进展、新成效。党的二十届四中全会统筹中华民族伟大复兴战略全局和世界百年未有之大变局，对“十五五”时期扩大高水平对外开放、开创合作共赢新局面作出顶层设计和战略擘画，释放了以开放促改革促发展，与世界各国共享机遇、共同发展的强烈信号。未来五年，我们要精准把握高水平开放的丰富内涵，以制度型开放为重点，聚焦关键领域，积极主动把我国对外开放提高到新水平。

Major Achievements in Opening Up

对外开放取得重大成就

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, comprehensively deepening reform was further advanced, and high-standard opening up was continuously expanded, injecting impetus into high-quality economic and social development, providing support for building a new development pattern, and laying a solid foundation for advancing higher-standard opening up during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

“十四五”时期，全面深化改革进一步推进，高水平对外开放不断扩大，为经济社会高质量发展注入动力、为构建新发展格局提供支撑，更为“十五五”时期推进更高水平开放奠定坚实基础。

Foreign trade achieved both quantitative growth and qualitative improvement. China withstood pressures such as sluggish global demand, disrupted supply chains, and rising unilateralism, and its status as a major trading country was further consolidated. The scale of goods trade has ranked first in the world for eight consecutive years; services trade exceeded US$1 trillion; China became a major trading partner for more than 150 countries and regions; and it is estimated that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, imports of goods and services will exceed US$15 trillion. The trade structure has been continuously optimized, with the proportion of general trade rising, indicating that the level of advanced industrial foundations, modernized industrial chains, and international competitiveness has steadily increased. Knowledge-intensive services trade has grown rapidly, and new business forms such as cross-border e-commerce and market procurement trade have flourished, injecting new vitality into foreign trade. In addition, by hosting important exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, China has actively expanded imports, providing vast market opportunities for countries around the world.

对外贸易实现量质齐升。我国顶住全球需求不振、供应链受阻、单边主义上升等压力，贸易大国地位进一步巩固。货物贸易规模连续8年居全球首位，服务贸易突破1万亿美元，成为150多个国家和地区的主要贸易伙伴，预计“十四五”时期货物和服务进口将超过15万亿美元。贸易结构不断优化，一般贸易比重提升，标志着产业基础高级化、产业链现代化水平与国际竞争力稳步增强；知识密集型服务贸易快速增长，跨境电商、市场采购贸易等新业态蓬勃发展，为外贸注入新活力。此外，通过举办中国国际进口博览会等重要展会，我国主动扩大进口，为世界各国提供了广阔市场机遇。

The level of two-way investment has steadily improved. In terms of “bringing in,” during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China continuously shortened the negative list for foreign investment access, fully implemented the Foreign Investment Law and its implementing regulations, and actively created a market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized first-class business environment. Although global cross-border investment fluctuated significantly, the scale of foreign investment attracted by China remained stable, and the proportion of investment in high-tech industries increased significantly. In terms of “going global,” outward investment has cumulatively paid over US$300 billion in taxes to host countries and driven a large amount of employment, promoting local industrialization and modernization. The scale of foreign contracted projects reached a new high, with projects such as the Karuma Hydropower Station in Uganda and the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia coming into operation, driving the “going global” of equipment, technology, and standards.

双向投资水平稳步提升。“引进来”方面，“十四五”时期，我国持续缩减外资准入负面清单，全面落实外商投资法及其实施条例，积极营造市场化、法治化、国际化一流营商环境；尽管全球跨国投资波动较大，但我国吸引外资规模保持稳定，高技术产业引资占比显著提升。“走出去”方面，对外投资累计为东道国纳税3000多亿美元、带动大量就业，促进了当地工业化和现代化；对外承包工程规模创下新高，乌干达卡鲁玛水电站、印尼雅万高铁等项目投产，带动设备技术标准“走出去”。

Institutional opening up has been advanced in depth. Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s opening up has gradually shifted from opening up based on the flow of goods and factors to institutional opening up based on rules, regulations, management, and standards. On the one hand, relying on the construction of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port to align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, the negative list for cross-border services trade has been shortened, and institutional innovation in emerging fields such as cross-border data flow has been promoted in an orderly manner. On the other hand, China firmly upholds the multilateral trading system centered on the World Trade Organization, and has announced that it will not seek new special and differential treatment in current and future WTO negotiations, demonstrating the responsibility of a major country.

制度型开放纵深推进。“十四五”以来，我国对外开放逐渐实现从商品要素流动型开放向规则、规制、管理、标准等制度型开放转变。一方面，依托自贸试验区、海南自由贸易港建设对接国际高标准经贸规则，压减跨境服务贸易负面清单，有序推进数据跨境流动等新兴领域制度创新。另一方面，坚定维护以世界贸易组织为核心的多边贸易体制，宣布在世界贸易组织当前和未来谈判中将不寻求新的特殊和差别待遇，展现大国责任担当。

The Belt and Road Initiative has become a popular international public good. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, adhering to the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, the Belt and Road Initiative was promoted to shift from “building the framework and laying the foundation” to “optimizing the structure and improving efficiency.” The level of connectivity in infrastructure, trade, and financial integration improved; a batch of landmark projects and “small yet smart” livelihood projects were implemented; and the operational efficiency of the China-Europe Railway Express and the New Western Land-Sea Corridor was enhanced. According to statistics, more than three-quarters of countries worldwide have joined the initiative, and a total of 113 standardization cooperation documents have been signed with 69 countries and organizations, forming an all-round, multi-level international cooperation network. Practice shows that the Belt and Road Initiative has become an open and inclusive international cooperation platform, not only promoting two-way exchanges and synergy between China and partner countries but also making important contributions to global connectivity.

共建“一带一路”成为受欢迎的国际公共产品。“十四五”时期，秉持共商共建共享原则，推动共建“一带一路”从“建框架、打基础”向“优结构、提效能”转变，设施、贸易、资金融通水平提升，一批标志性工程与“小而美”民生项目落地，中欧班列、西部陆海新通道运行效能增强。据统计，全球有超四分之三国家加入共建行列，累计与69个国家和组织签署113份标准化合作文件，形成全方位、多层次国际合作网络。实践表明，共建“一带一路”成为开放包容的国际合作平台，不仅促进我国与共建国的双向交流和协同增效，更为全球互联互通作出重要贡献。

Strategic Direction for Expanding High-Standard Opening Up

扩大高水平开放的战略方向

The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial period for consolidating the foundation and making comprehensive efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization. Although unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonism pose certain threats to the security and stability of China’s external environment, China’s determination to expand high-standard opening up will not change, its determination to share development opportunities with the world will not change, and its determination to promote economic globalization toward a more open, inclusive, balanced, and win-win direction for all will not change. We must fully implement the strategic deployments made by the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, and take more proactive and effective actions to promote the building of a new system for a higher-standard open economy.

“十五五”时期是基本实现社会主义现代化夯实基础、全面发力的关键时期。尽管单边主义、保护主义、霸权主义对我国外部环境安全稳定构成一定威胁，但我国扩大高水平开放的决心不会变，同世界分享发展机遇的决心不会变，推动经济全球化朝着更加开放、包容、普惠、平衡、共赢方向发展的决心不会变。我们要全面贯彻党的二十届四中全会作出的战略部署，以更加积极有为的行动，推动建设更高水平开放型经济新体制。

Actively expand autonomous opening up. Balancing China’s needs with the world’s expectations, shift from “passive adaptation” to “active design,” making breakthroughs in rule alignment, field expansion, and platform construction. Focus on expanding market access with the services sector as the key, orderly advance opening up in fields such as finance, education, medical care, and culture, and improve the negative list management system for cross-border services trade. Align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, focus on “behind-the-border” issues such as competition policy, intellectual property protection, environmental standards, and labor protection, and build an institutional system that connects with internationally accepted rules. Expand the “circle of friends” in trade and investment, accelerate the process of regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements, promote the construction of a high-standard free trade zone network, implement the zero-tariff measure for 100% of tariff items from least developed countries and African countries with diplomatic relations with China, and promote common opening up through China’s own opening up. Promote pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port to explore replicable and scalable institutional innovation achievements, raise the level of opening up in the central, western, and northeastern regions, and form a pattern of coordinated regional opening up.

积极扩大自主开放。兼顾中国所需与世界所盼，从“被动适应”转向“主动设计”，在规则对接、领域拓展、平台建设上突破。以服务业为重点扩大市场准入，有序推进金融、教育、医疗、文化等领域开放，完善跨境服务贸易负面清单管理制度。对接国际高标准经贸规则，聚焦竞争政策、知识产权保护、环境标准、劳工保护等“边境后”议题，构建与国际通行规则衔接的制度体系。扩大经贸“朋友圈”，加快区域和双边贸易投资协定进程，推动高标准自贸区网络建设，落实对最不发达国家、非洲建交国100%税目产品零关税举措，以自身开放促进共同开放。推动自贸试验区、海南自由贸易港探索可复制推广的制度创新成果，提升中西部和东北地区开放水平，形成区域协调开放格局。

Promote innovative development of trade. Accelerate the transformation of trade toward “equal emphasis on scale and quality and efficiency” and “synergy between goods, services, and digital trade.” First, promote goods trade to move up to the middle and high end of the value chain, actively expand intermediate goods trade, focus on improving the competitiveness of key components and important materials, improve the standard certification system, intensify efforts to consolidate traditional markets in Europe and the United States, expand emerging markets such as ASEAN, Africa, and Latin America, and reduce dependence on a single market. Second, promote the release of the potential of services trade and increase the proportion of knowledge-intensive services trade. Relying on the advantages of the digital economy, promote the export of emerging services such as finance, intellectual property, and information technology, establish a linkage mechanism for innovative development demonstration zones for services trade, promote integration with the manufacturing industry, support the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade for enterprises, and actively expand imports of productive goods such as advanced technology and important equipment, as well as imports of consumer goods such as high-quality consumer products and high-end services. Third, take digital trade as an important engine and orderly expand opening up in the digital field. Promote the construction of digital trade demonstration zones, facilitate international cooperation in cross-border data flow, digital identity authentication, and electronic payments; cultivate digital trade enterprises with international competitiveness, promote the export of e-commerce, digital content, and cloud computing, and strengthen the application of digital technology in the entire trade chain.

推动贸易创新发展。加快推动贸易向“规模与质量效益并重”“货物+服务+数字贸易协同”转型。一是推动货物贸易向价值链中高端攀升，积极拓展中间品贸易，重点提升关键零部件、重要材料竞争力，健全标准认证体系，加力巩固欧美传统市场，拓展东盟、非洲、拉美等新兴市场，降低单一市场依赖。二是推动释放服务贸易潜力，提升知识密集型服务贸易占比。依托数字经济优势，推动金融、知识产权、信息技术等新兴服务出口，建立服务贸易创新发展示范区联动机制，促进与制造业融合，支持企业内外贸一体化发展，积极扩大先进技术、重要设备等生产性进口与优质消费品、高端服务等生活性进口。三是以数字贸易为重要引擎，有序扩大数字领域开放。推动建设数字贸易示范区，促进数据跨境流动、数字身份认证、电子支付国际合作；培育具有国际竞争力的数字贸易企业，推动电子商务、数字内容、云计算出口，强化数字技术在贸易全链条应用。

Expand space for two-way investment cooperation. Optimize the environment, improve quality, polish the “Invest in China” brand, and enhance the benefits of outward investment. In terms of attracting foreign investment, focus on creating new advantages through “access plus operation,” continuously shorten the negative list, relax access restrictions in the services sector and high-end manufacturing; focus on attracting investment in high-end manufacturing, technological innovation, and green development, encourage foreign investment to participate in technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading; create a transparent and stable institutional environment, ensure national treatment for foreign investors, improve the complaint mechanism, and enhance the long-term confidence of foreign businesses. In terms of outward investment, focus on “orderly layout and improved efficiency” to improve the management and service system, guide enterprises to participate in outward investment in accordance with market principles and international rules; continuously improve the comprehensive overseas service system, strengthen risk early warning and prevention and control, provide one-stop services in law, finance, and taxation; promote the integration of outward investment with domestic industrial upgrading, and guide the orderly cross-border layout of industrial chains.

拓展双向投资合作空间。优化环境、提升质量，擦亮“投资中国”品牌，增强对外投资效益。吸引外资方面，重点以“准入又准营”塑造新优势，持续缩减负面清单，放宽服务业、高端制造业准入限制；聚焦高端制造、科技创新、绿色发展领域引资，鼓励外资参与技术攻关与产业升级；营造透明稳定制度环境，保障外资国民待遇，完善投诉机制，增强外商长期信心。对外投资方面，重点以“有序布局、提升效益”健全管理服务体系，引导企业按市场原则与国际规则参与对外投资；不断健全海外综合服务体系，加强风险预警防控，提供法律、金融、税务一站式服务；推动对外投资与国内产业升级相结合，引导产业链有序跨境布局。

Build the Belt and Road Initiative with high quality. Adhere to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, and push forward the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative from a "freehand sketch" to a "fine brushwork" [4]4 "Freehand sketch" (大写意) and "fine brushwork" (工笔画) are terms from traditional Chinese painting, used here as a metaphor for moving from broad, general planning to detailed, precise implementation., achieving development of higher quality, higher standards, and greater sustainability. On the one hand, strengthen strategic alignment with partner countries, and coordinate the advancement of major landmark projects with "small yet beautiful" livelihood projects. Accelerate the follow-up construction of the China-Laos Railway and the China-Thailand Railway, improve the logistics networks of the China-Europe Railway Express and the New Western Land-Sea Corridor, and enhance cross-border transport efficiency; focus on poverty reduction, health, education, and agriculture, build schools, hospitals, and agricultural technology demonstration centers, and promote people-to-people bonds. On the other hand, continuously deepen practical cooperation in trade, investment, industry, and people-to-people exchanges, and expand cooperation in the green, digital, and artificial intelligence fields. In the trade field, focus on promoting customs clearance facilitation and cost reduction; in investment cooperation, encourage production capacity cooperation and the construction of overseas economic and trade cooperation zones; in emerging fields, focus on promoting the implementation of green energy and green infrastructure projects, deepening the application of digital technology in cross-border trade, logistics, and finance, and strengthening international exchanges and cooperation in artificial intelligence.

高质量共建“一带一路”。坚持共商共建共享原则，推动共建“一带一路”从“大写意”向“工笔画”深入推进，实现更高质量、更高标准、更可持续的发展。一方面，加强与共建国家战略对接，统筹推进重大标志性工程与“小而美”民生项目。加快中老铁路、中泰铁路后续建设，完善中欧班列、西部陆海新通道物流网络，提升跨境运输效率；聚焦减贫、卫生、教育、农业领域，建设学校、医院、农业技术示范中心，促进民心相通。另一方面，不断深化贸易、投资、产业、人文务实合作，拓展绿色、数字、人工智能领域合作。贸易领域重点推进通关便利化、降低成本，投资合作方面要鼓励产能合作与境外经贸合作区建设，新兴领域重点是推动绿色能源、绿色基建项目落地，深化数字技术在跨境贸易、物流、金融等方面应用，加强人工智能国际交流合作。

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of Foreign Economic Research, China Academy of Macroeconomic Research)

（作者系中国宏观经济研究院对外经济研究所研究员）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧