5. Carry out a new round of high-quality opening up and work to achieve mutually beneficial cooperation
In the face of profound changes in international economic cooperation and competition, and in response to the urgent need to improve the performance of and upgrade China's economy, we must open wider to the outside world with unwavering resolve. By doing so, we can strengthen new drivers of development, add new forces to propel reform forward, and create new competitive strengths for China.
-- We will work to secure solid progress in pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative.
We will promote domestic regional development and opening up and international economic cooperation in a coordinated way, work with other countries and regions to build overland economic corridors and maritime cooperation hubs, and promote connectivity, economic and trade cooperation, and cultural exchange. We will work to develop cooperative mechanisms for achieving compatibility in customs clearance procedures along the routes and build international logistics networks. We will promote the development of border economic cooperation zones, cross-border economic cooperation zones, and overseas economic and trade cooperation zones. With a commitment to achieving common development and shared growth through joint consultation, we will ensure that the Belt and Road Initiative creates bonds of peace, friendship, and common prosperity.
-- We will work to achieve greater industrial-capacity cooperation with other countries.
We will launch demonstration projects in accordance with the principle that enterprises should be the main actors, that government should provide support, and that operations should be market based. We will improve and implement related supporting fiscal, tax, and financial policies, establish an RMB overseas cooperation fund and make good use of bilateral industrial-capacity cooperation funds. We will promote greater use of Chinese equipment, technology, standards, and services in the international market, and help Chinese manufacturing brands gain international recognition.
-- We will develop innovative ways to promote foreign trade.
Faced with continuously weak foreign demand, we need to take a combination of measures to stop the decline in imports and exports.
First, we will move faster to improve and implement policies.
We will improve the structure of export tax rebate rates, ensure rebates are paid promptly and in full, and crack down on fraudulent claims. We will increase short-term export-credit insurance and provide export financing insurance for all insurable complete sets of equipment.
Second, we will encourage innovative business models.
We will expand trials in cross-border e-commerce, support enterprises in developing overseas warehouses for export products, and promote the development of enterprises that provide comprehensive foreign trade services.
Third, we will improve the trade mix.
We will launch trials to create innovative ways of developing trade in services, see that more cities become trendsetters in providing foreign outsourced services, and accelerate the development of foreign trade in cultural goods and services. We will further integrate and improve special customs regulation zones, and encourage processing trade to move to the central and western regions and extend to the medium-high end of the industrial chain.
Fourth, we will further facilitate trade.
We will see that the single window system is implemented for international trade nationwide. We will reduce the frequency of inspections for exports.
Fifth, we will adopt a more proactive import policy.
We will increase the import of advanced technology and equipment, key spare parts and components, and energy and raw materials in short supply in China.
-- We will work to make better use of overseas investment.
We will continue to relax market access restrictions on investment, further open the service sector and the general manufacturing sector, simplify procedures for establishing companies with overseas investment, and step up efforts to attract more investment. We will create new models of opening up for inland and border areas, develop new overseas-oriented industrial clusters, and encourage more overseas investment in the central and western regions. Pilot free trade zones will be established in more parts of the country. We will improve the systems and mechanisms for governing development zones. With these efforts, China's investment environment will become even more fair, transparent, and predictable, and China will be able to maintain strong appeal and serve as a favorite destination for overseas investment.
-- We will accelerate implementation of the free trade zone strategy.
We wish to actively negotiate and sign the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement. We will help speed up negotiations on the establishment of the China-Japan-RoK free trade area. We will work to make progress in negotiations on investment agreements between China and the United States and between China and the European Union. We will help strengthen collective strategic research on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. China wishes to work with all interested parties to move ahead with trade and investment liberalization and establish an international economic and trade system that is balanced, inclusive, and beneficial for all.
6. Step up environmental governance efforts and work to see breakthroughs in green development
Pollution control and environmental protection are important to both the health of our people and sustainable development, so we must work hard moving forward and resolve to take a path that leads to both economic development and environmental improvement.
-- We will take strong measures against air and water pollution.
This year, we will ensure that chemical oxygen demand and ammonia nitrogen emissions are both reduced by 2%, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions are cut by 3%, and the density of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in key areas continues to fall. We will focus on promoting the reduction of emissions from the burning of coal and motor vehicles. We will work to promote cleaner and more efficient use of coal, ensure there is less use of untreated coal, and do more to see coal substituted with electricity and natural gas. We will upgrade coal-burning power plants nationwide to achieve ultra-low emissions and energy efficiency, and we will move faster to shut down coal-fired boilers that do not meet compulsory standards.
We will increase natural gas supply, improve policy support for the development of wind, solar, and biomass energy, and increase the proportion of clean energy in total energy consumption. We will encourage a whole range of forms of straw utilization and restrict open burning. We will push for the use of automobile gasoline and diesel fuel that meet National-V standards nationwide and see that 3.8 million old or high-emission vehicles are taken off the roads.
We will coordinate efforts to prevent and control air pollution in regions where it presents a problem. We will press ahead with the nationwide development and upgrading of urban sewage treatment facilities, and strengthen comprehensive efforts aimed at controlling agricultural pollution from non-point sources and at improving the water environment in river basin areas. We will step up efforts to deal with industrial pollution at the source and conduct online monitoring of all polluting enterprises. We will strengthen environmental inspection and reward and punish as appropriate. We must ensure that the newly revised Environmental Protection Law is strictly enforced, that those who emit pollutants beyond the limit allowed by their permit or without a permit are severely punished as stipulated by law, and that those who knowingly allow such violations are held to account in accordance with the law.
-- We will work to develop the energy conservation and environmental protection industries.
We will ensure that environmental standards are applied in more areas. We will improve policy support to encourage the use of energy-saving and environmentally friendly advanced technologies and equipment, promote on a large scale contracted energy management and third-party treatment of environmental pollution, and work to see that energy-saving renovations in buildings are strengthened and efforts are accelerated to make traditional manufacturing more eco-friendly. We will encourage everyone to conserve energy and water, make progress in using sorted treatment of waste, improve the networks for recycling renewable resources, and turn the energy conservation and environmental protection industries into pillar industries underpinning China's development.
-- We will continue to develop ecological security barriers.
We will improve mechanisms for compensating for ecological conservation efforts. Commercial logging in natural forests will be banned, and a new round of subsidy and award policies for grassland ecological conservation efforts will be implemented. Trials to comprehensively deal with the over-abstraction of groundwater will be moved ahead, more will be done to protect and restore wetlands and other ecosystems, and continued efforts will be made to curb desertification, rock desertification, and soil erosion. Every one of us has an obligation to protect the environment -- we call on every member of society to act and contribute to the building of a Beautiful China.