Viewing Institutional Opening Up from the Dimension of Governance Modernization

The Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the CPC, devotes a special section to expanding high-standard opening up, clearly stating the need to "steadily expand institutional opening up, uphold the multilateral trading system, expand international circulation, and promote reform and development through opening up." This strategic deployment, grounded in the development orientation of the New Era and closely aligned with the evolutionary trends of economic globalization and the demands of domestic reform and development, points the way for advancing the modernization of national governance through higher-standard opening up. At the historical intersection where domestic reform is deepening and the international landscape is undergoing profound adjustment, institutional opening up is no longer merely a policy choice serving economic growth; it has risen to a strategic measure bearing on the overall situation of national development, becoming a key fulcrum for restructuring the governance system, enhancing governance effectiveness, and advancing Chinese-path modernization.

党的二十届四中全会通过的《中共中央关于制定国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划的建议》专章部署扩大高水平对外开放，明确提出要“稳步扩大制度型开放，维护多边贸易体制，拓展国际循环，以开放促改革促发展”。这一战略部署立足新时代发展方位，紧扣经济全球化演进趋势与国内改革发展需求，为在更高水平对外开放中推进国家治理现代化指明了方向。在国内改革纵深推进、国际格局深刻调整的历史交汇点上，制度型开放早已不再是单纯服务经济增长的政策选择，而是上升为关系国家发展全局的战略举措，成为重构治理体系、提升治理效能、推进中国式现代化的关键支点。

I

一

There is a profound internal logical relationship between institutional opening up and the modernization of national governance. The core essence of institutional opening up is to enhance the inclusiveness, compatibility, and predictability of opening up through systematic, high-quality institutional supply, thereby creating a stable and fair development environment for all types of market entities. The goal of the modernization of national governance is to build a systematic, well-conceived, scientifically standardized, and effectively operational institutional system, proactively respond to the challenges faced in national governance, and effectively resolve contradictions and problems in the development process. Institutional opening up provides external impetus and practical pathways for the modernization of national governance, forcing domestic institutional reform and innovation by aligning with high-standard international rules and breaking through blockages and difficulties in the governance system; the modernization of national governance, in turn, provides a solid foundation for institutional opening up, ensuring the steady progress of the opening-up process. The two share the same goals and are synchronized in practice, forming an inseparable whole in the process of Chinese-path modernization.

制度型开放与国家治理现代化存在深刻的内在逻辑关系。制度型开放的核心要义是通过系统性、高质量的制度供给，增强开放的包容性、兼容性和可预期性，为各类市场主体营造稳定公平的发展环境。国家治理现代化的目标指向是构建系统完备、科学规范、运行有效的制度体系，主动应对国家治理中面临的挑战，有效解决发展过程中的矛盾问题。制度型开放为国家治理现代化提供了外部动力与实践路径，通过对接国际高标准规则倒逼国内制度改革创新，破解治理体系中的堵点难点；国家治理现代化则为制度型开放提供坚实基础，确保开放进程稳步推进。二者目标同向、实践同频，成为中国式现代化进程中不可分割的整体。

From the perspective of governance values, institutional opening up enriches the governance orientation of fairness and justice and consolidates the people-centered value foundation. The fundamental pursuit of modern national governance is not only the speed of economic growth but also the fair distribution of public interests, the continuous enhancement of social welfare, and the comprehensive development of human beings. The rule equality, rights protection, and procedural justice advocated by institutional opening up are highly consistent with the value goals of modern governance, providing important traction for the elevation of governance values. In the practice of aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules, China's mechanism for protecting the rights and interests of market entities has been continuously improved, the mechanism for optimizing the allocation of social resources has been steadily enhanced, and the expectations and confidence of market entities have been stabilized. Institutional opening up drives governance values to shift from "growth first" to "equal emphasis on development and fairness," allowing the fruits of development to benefit all the people more and more fairly; from "efficiency orientation" to "public rationality orientation," making institutional design not only follow economic laws but also reflect social fairness and justice, deeply integrating into the people-centered development thought and making the value foundation of national governance more solid.

从治理价值来看，制度型开放厚植公平正义的治理导向，筑牢以人民为中心的价值根基。现代国家治理的根本追求不仅是经济增长的速度，更是实现公共利益的公平分配、社会福祉的持续增进和人的全面发展。制度型开放所倡导的规则平等、权利保障、程序正义，与现代治理的价值目标高度契合，为治理价值的升华提供了重要牵引。在对接国际高标准经贸规则的实践中，我国市场主体权益保护机制不断完善，社会资源配置机制持续优化，稳定了市场主体的预期与信心。制度型开放推动治理价值从“增长优先”转向“发展与公平并重”，让发展成果更多更公平惠及全体人民；从“效率导向”转向“公共理性导向”，使制度设计既遵循经济规律，又体现社会公平正义，深度融入以人民为中心的发展思想，使国家治理的价值根基更加稳固。

From the perspective of governance concepts, institutional opening up promotes the innovation and upgrading of governance thinking and establishes the modern concept of rule guidance. Traditional governance models often rely on administrative directives and hierarchical management, achieving governance goals through the allocation of power and administrative orders. Institutional opening up emphasizes promoting the achievement of public goals through rule design, institutional supply, and procedural constraints, prompting governance entities to update their conceptual structures. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, 22 pilot free trade zones covering the east, west, south, north, and center of China have produced nearly 200 institutional innovation achievements, providing vivid examples for the innovation of governance thinking. The full-coverage pilot reform of "separation of permits and licenses" [1]1 "Separation of permits and licenses" (证照分离) refers to a reform that separates business licenses from operating permits, streamlining market access procedures. carried out in pilot free trade zones is not only an innovation in governance tools but also a profound change in governance concepts. The comprehensive implementation of the "three systems" [2]2 The "three systems" (三项制度) for administrative law enforcement refer to the systems of information disclosure of administrative law enforcement, full recording of the law enforcement process, and review of major law enforcement decisions. for administrative law enforcement has continuously deepened the awareness of the rule of law and coordination. This conceptual change is a profound grasp of the governance law of "pluralistic coordination and rule supremacy," laying a solid ideological foundation for the modernization of national governance and making governance practice more in line with the trends of the times and the expectations of the people.

从治理观念来看，制度型开放推动治理思维的革新升级，树立规则引领的现代理念。传统治理模式往往依赖行政指令与层级管理，通过权力配置和行政命令实现治理目标。制度型开放强调以规则设计、制度供给、程序约束推动实现公共目标，促使治理主体更新观念结构。“十四五”期间，覆盖东西南北中的22个自由贸易试验区形成了近200项制度创新成果，为治理思维的革新提供了鲜活范例。在自由贸易试验区开展“证照分离”改革全覆盖试点，既是治理工具的创新，更是治理观念的深刻变革。行政执法“三项制度”全面推行，法治意识、协同意识不断深入人心。这种观念变革是对“多元协同、规则至上”治理规律的深刻把握，为国家治理现代化夯实了思想基础，使治理实践更加符合时代发展潮流和人民群众期待。

From the perspective of the governance system, institutional opening up leads to the systematic restructuring of the institutional system, creating a synergistic and efficient governance framework. Institutional opening up takes rule alignment as the key lever, promoting the transformation of the governance system towards systematization and synergy. In the field of investment access, China has continuously shortened the negative list for foreign investment access, reducing the number of items on the negative list from 151 in the 2018 edition to 106 in the 2025 edition, continuously improving the market access system; in the field of property rights protection, the punitive damages system for intellectual property infringement has been continuously improved. At the same time, fields such as financial supervision and competition policy have continuously aligned with international advanced standards, and related institutional reforms have been continuously deepened. These institutional innovations support and organically integrate with each other, promoting the formation of an overall structure for the governance system that is rule-based, law-governed, and synergy-oriented.

从治理体系来看，制度型开放牵引制度体系的系统性重构，打造了协同高效的治理架构。制度型开放以规则对接为关键抓手，推动治理体系向系统化、协同化转型。在投资准入领域，我国持续缩减外资准入负面清单，负面清单内的事项数量由2018年版的151项缩减至2025年版的106项，市场准入制度不断完善；在产权保护领域，知识产权侵权惩罚性赔偿制度不断完善。与此同时，金融监管、竞争政策等领域持续对接国际先进标准，相关制度改革不断深化。这些制度创新相互支撑、有机融合，推动治理体系形成规则为基、法治为纲、协同为要的整体结构。

From the perspective of governance capacity, institutional opening up promotes the professional upgrading of governance capacity and enhances the governance effectiveness of good governance and effective action. The modernization of national governance capacity is essentially the ability to use institutions to enhance the capacity to respond to risks, provide public services, and allocate resources. Institutional opening up places higher demands on governance capacity, requiring not only proficiency in the operation of domestic institutions but also the ability to align with international rules, participate in rule-making, and resolve institutional differences. In terms of rule application, China actively participates in negotiations for free trade agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, proactively proposes Chinese solutions in emerging fields, and its voice in the formulation of global trade rules has been continuously enhanced; in terms of resource allocation, it fully leverages the decisive role of the market in resource allocation while better playing the role of the government, accelerating the improvement of the institutional mechanisms for market-based allocation of factors, effectively improving the efficiency of resource allocation; in terms of public services, "one-stop online processing" [3]3 "One-stop online processing" (一网通办) refers to a digital government service model where citizens and businesses can handle various administrative procedures through a single online platform. and "cross-provincial processing" [4]4 "Cross-provincial processing" (跨省通办) refers to a reform allowing citizens and businesses to handle administrative procedures across provincial boundaries without needing to travel to the province where the service is based. have been comprehensively promoted, comprehensively enhancing the convenience of public services; in terms of risk prevention and control, systems such as foreign investment security review and data export security assessment have been continuously improved, demonstrating China's governance capacity to build a safety bottom line in deep opening up and to enhance the level of opening up while ensuring security.

从治理能力来看，制度型开放促进治理能力的专业化升级，提升善治有为的治理效能。国家治理能力的现代化本质上是运用制度提升应对风险、提供公共服务、配置资源的能力。制度型开放对治理能力提出了更高要求，既要精通国内制度运行，还需具备对接国际规则、参与规则制定、化解制度差异的能力。在规则运用方面，我国积极参与《区域全面经济伙伴关系协定》《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》等自贸协定谈判，在新兴领域主动提出中国方案，在全球贸易规则制定中的话语权持续提升；在资源配置方面，充分发挥市场在资源配置中的决定性作用，同时更好发挥政府作用，加快完善要素市场化配置体制机制，有效提高了资源配置效率；在公共服务方面，“一网通办”“跨省通办”全面推进，全面提升了公共服务的便利性；在风险防控方面，外商投资安全审查、数据出境安全评估等制度不断完善，展现了我国在深度开放中筑牢安全底线、在保障安全中提升开放能级的治理能力。

From the perspective of governance performance, institutional opening up transforms institutional advantages into development momentum, effectively enhancing the well-being of the people. The ultimate measure of the modernization of national governance is the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. Institutional opening up provides solid support for improving governance performance by optimizing the institutional environment, stimulating market vitality, and expanding development space. At the economic level, China's actual use of foreign capital has ranked among the top in the world for many consecutive years; in 2025, the actual use of foreign capital was 747.69 billion yuan, of which the actual use of foreign capital in high-tech industries was 241.77 billion yuan; the "stable volume and improved quality" of foreign capital is becoming an important force driving the optimization and upgrading of the industrial structure; in 2024, China's total trade in goods ranked first in the world for eight consecutive years, and emerging trade formats flourished, highlighting China's important position in the global industrial chain and supply chain. In the field of people's livelihood, institutional opening up, by promoting rule alignment and institutional innovation, has opened up channels for the flow of cross-border goods and services at a deeper level; at the same time, the list of goods for cross-border e-commerce retail imports has been continuously optimized and adjusted, allowing consumers to enjoy high-quality global goods and services without leaving the country, greatly satisfying the people's aspirations for a better life. These tangible results fully demonstrate the profound practical significance of institutional opening up and the modernization of national governance, reflecting the fundamental goal of continuously improving people's well-being in the process of governance modernization.

从治理绩效来看，制度型开放将制度优势转化为发展动能，切实增进人民群众的福祉。国家治理现代化的最终衡量标准，是人民群众的获得感、幸福感和安全感。制度型开放通过优化制度环境、激发市场活力、拓展发展空间，为治理绩效提升提供了坚实支撑。在经济层面，我国实际使用外资连续多年位居全球前列，2025年实际使用外资金额7476.9亿元人民币，其中高技术产业实际使用外资2417.7亿元人民币，外资的“量稳质升”正成为推动产业结构优化升级的重要力量；2024年我国货物贸易总额连续八年位居全球第一，新兴贸易业态蓬勃发展，彰显了我国在全球产业链、供应链中的重要地位。在民生领域，制度型开放通过推动规则对接与制度创新，从更深层次打通了跨境商品和服务的流动渠道，同时跨境电商零售进口商品清单不断优化调整，消费者无需出国门即可享受到全球优质商品与服务，极大满足了人民群众对美好生活的向往。这些实实在在的成果充分展示了制度型开放与国家治理现代化的深刻实践意义，体现了治理现代化进程中人民福祉持续提升的根本目标。

II

二

Institutional opening up injects strong impetus into the modernization of national governance, but to achieve the deep integration and coordinated advancement of the two, it is still necessary to solve problems such as insufficient alignment of rules in some areas, inadequate institutional synergy, and weak adaptability of governance capacity. On the new journey of the New Era, it is necessary to take systematic thinking as the guide, make overall plans and steadily advance, transform the practical achievements of institutional opening up into a sustained driving force for promoting governance modernization, and continuously improve the governance system and enhance governance effectiveness in a higher level of opening up.

制度型开放为国家治理现代化注入强劲动力，但要实现二者的深度融合、协同推进，仍需破解部分领域规则衔接不充分、制度协同性不足、治理能力适配性不强等问题。新时代新征程，必须以系统思维为引领，统筹谋划、稳步推进，将制度型开放的实践成果转化为推动治理现代化的持续动力，在更高水平的开放中，不断完善治理体系，提升治理效能。

With the proactive alignment with international high-standard economic and trade rules as the core, we must consolidate the institutional foundation of institutional opening up. Rule alignment is the key lever for institutional opening up and an important pathway for optimizing the governance system. We must proactively align with international high-standard economic and trade rules, focusing on the core rules in free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, and accelerate institutional innovation and rule transformation in key areas such as market access, fair competition, intellectual property, digital trade, and green and low-carbon development; further shorten the negative list for foreign investment access, and promote the implementation of the principle of "entry unless prohibited"; strengthen fair competition review to break down local protection and market segmentation; strengthen the full-chain protection of intellectual property rights to build a world-class highland for intellectual property protection; improve the digital trade governance system, actively participate in the formulation of international digital trade rules, deepen international cooperation in digital trade, accelerate the construction of a digital trust system, strengthen security governance in the digital field, and strive to enhance the level of China's digital trade governance. By proactively aligning with international high-standard economic and trade rules, we promote the deep integration of the domestic institutional system with international high-standard rules, making institutional supply more inclusive and competitive, and laying a more solid foundation for achieving high-quality development.

以主动对接国际高标准经贸规则为核心，筑牢制度型开放的制度根基。规则对接是制度型开放的关键抓手，也是治理体系优化的重要路径。要主动对接国际高标准经贸规则，聚焦《全面与进步跨太平洋伙伴关系协定》《数字经济伙伴关系协定》等自贸协定中的核心规则，在市场准入、公平竞争、知识产权、数字贸易、绿色低碳等重点领域，加快制度创新和规则转化；进一步缩减外资准入负面清单，推动“非禁即入”原则落地生根；强化公平竞争审查，破除地方保护和市场分割；加强知识产权全链条保护，打造国际一流的知识产权保护高地；完善数字贸易治理体系，积极参与数字贸易国际规则制定、深化数字贸易国际合作、加快构建数字信任体系、加强数字领域安全治理，着力提升我国数字贸易治理水平。通过主动对接国际高标准经贸规则，推动国内制度体系与国际高标准规则深度融合，使制度供给更具包容性、竞争力，为实现高质量发展奠定更加坚实的基础。

With the systematic integration of institutions as the lever, we must enhance the synergistic effectiveness of the governance system. The in-depth advancement of institutional opening up requires the mutual coordination and joint efforts of institutions across various fields. We must establish and improve coordination mechanisms, break down departmental barriers and hierarchical divisions, and promote the systematic integration of institutional innovations in areas such as investment, trade, finance, and regulation; leverage the pioneering and pilot role of open platforms such as pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port, replicate and promote the institutional innovation achievements of local areas nationwide, forming an institutional diffusion pattern of "breakthroughs at points, promotion across areas, and overall improvement"; establish cross-departmental working mechanisms for rule alignment, strengthen central-local coordination and linkage, clarify the division of powers and responsibilities, and form a synergistic force for institutional innovation that is vertically linked and horizontally coordinated. Through the systematic integration of institutions, we enhance the overall nature, synergy, and stability of the governance system, fully release the advantages of institutions, and promote the continuous improvement and deepening of China's governance system.

以制度系统集成为抓手，提升治理体系的协同效能。制度型开放的深入推进，需要各领域制度相互配合、协同发力。要建立健全统筹协调机制，打破部门壁垒、层级分割，推动投资、贸易、金融、监管等领域制度创新的系统集成；发挥自由贸易试验区、海南自由贸易港等开放平台的先行先试作用，将局部地区的制度创新成果复制推广至全国，形成“点上突破、面上推广、整体提升”的制度扩散格局；建立跨部门规则衔接工作机制，强化央地协同联动，明确权责分工，形成上下联动、协同高效的制度创新合力。通过制度系统集成，提升治理体系的整体性、协同性和稳定性，使制度优势充分释放，推动我国治理体系不断完善与深化。

With the enhancement of governance capacity as the support, we must consolidate the implementation guarantee for institutional opening up. The modernization of governance capacity is the key to the effective implementation of institutional opening up. We should focus on core capacities such as rule application, risk prevention and control, and public services, and comprehensively enhance the construction of government governance capacity; strengthen research and interpretation of international high-standard economic and trade rules, cultivate a team of professional talents, and enhance the right to speak in participating in the formulation and negotiation of international rules; establish and improve a risk monitoring and early warning system in the open field, build a full-chain risk prevention and control mechanism, and enhance risk handling capacity; deepen the reform of "delegating power, improving regulation, and upgrading services," [5]5 "Delegating power, improving regulation, and upgrading services" (放管服) is a Chinese government reform slogan referring to streamlining administration, delegating authority, strengthening oversight, and improving public services. promote the standardization, normalization, and facilitation of government services, and build a cordial and clean relationship between government and business; improve the diversified dispute resolution mechanism for international commercial disputes, integrate high-quality resources such as arbitration, mediation, and litigation, create a preferred venue for international commercial dispute resolution, and continuously enhance the soft power of institutional opening up.

以治理能力提升为支撑，夯实制度型开放的实施保障。治理能力的现代化是制度型开放落地见效的关键。应聚焦规则运用、风险防控、公共服务等核心能力，全面提升政府治理能力建设；加强国际高标准经贸规则研究解读，培养专业人才队伍，提升参与国际规则制定和谈判的话语权；建立健全开放领域风险监测预警体系，构建全链条风险防控机制，提升风险处置能力；深化“放管服”改革，推进政务服务标准化、规范化、便利化，构建亲清政商关系；健全国际商事纠纷多元化解决机制，整合仲裁、调解、诉讼等优质资源，打造国际商事纠纷解决优选地，持续提升制度型开放的软实力。

With the coordination of development and security as the bottom line, we must build a security barrier for institutional opening up. Security is the prerequisite for development and the guarantee for the steady advancement of institutional opening up. Adhere to a systematic approach and bottom-line thinking, and while expanding opening up, firmly guard the bottom line of national security; strengthen the protection of key core technologies and important industrial and supply chains, prevent foreign monopoly and malicious mergers and acquisitions, and safeguard industrial security and economic security; strengthen macro-prudential management of cross-border capital flows, improve the financial risk prevention and control system, and prevent and resolve systemic financial risks; establish a data classification and grading protection system, regulate cross-border data flows, and ensure data security and controllability. By coordinating openness and security, development and stability, we achieve a positive interaction between institutional opening up and the modernization of national governance, enabling openness to proceed steadily and far on the track of security, and promoting the modernization of national governance to reach new and higher levels in the process of opening up.

以统筹发展和安全为底线，筑牢制度型开放的安全屏障。安全是发展的前提，也是制度型开放稳步推进的保障。坚持系统观念和底线思维，在扩大开放的同时，牢牢守住国家安全底线；加强关键核心技术、重要产业链供应链保护，防范外资垄断和恶意并购，维护产业安全和经济安全；强化跨境资本流动宏观审慎管理，健全金融风险防控体系，防范化解系统性金融风险；建立数据分类分级保护制度，规范数据跨境流动，确保数据安全可控。通过统筹开放与安全、发展与稳定，实现制度型开放与国家治理现代化的良性互动，使开放在安全的轨道上行稳致远，促进国家治理现代化在开放中迈向新的更高水平。

(Author: Liu Jiangning, Specially Appointed Researcher of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, Professor at the School of Marxism, University of International Business and Economics)

（作者：刘江宁，系北京市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、对外经济贸易大学马克思主义学院教授）