Photo taken on Nov. 2, 2020 shows the south square of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the main venue for the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE), in east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)
PROPELLING ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a heavy blow to the world economy and added to the instability and uncertainty, the overwhelming trend for countries to move toward openness and cooperation remains unchanged, Xi said.
As the economy gradually reopened, China took innovative approaches to establish "fast tracks" and "green lanes" to ensure a smooth flow of personnel and goods and keep industrial and supply chains stable and open.
With containment protocols in place, China also hosted a series of global trade events as scheduled including the 2020 China International Fair For Trade in Services in Beijing, the third China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, and the 17th China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, among others.
"This demonstrated China's sincere desire to share its market opportunities with the world to tide over difficulties," said Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.
With a population of 1.4 billion and a middle-income group that exceeds 400 million, the huge China market is the most promising one in the world.
"Our aim is to turn the Chinese market into a market for the world, a market shared by all, and a market accessible to all. This way, we will be able to bring more positive energy to the global community," Xi said in his keynote speech via video at this year's CIIE opening ceremony.
In its latest Economic Outlook report, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicted that China will be the only major economy to record positive performance in 2020 with a growth of 1.8 percent.
China is expected to play the role of a "locomotive" powering global recovery in the post-pandemic era, said Rudolf Minsch, chief economist at Swiss national business federation Economiesuisse.
Urging a self-revolution for the post-pandemic development, Xi has called for innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development. China aims to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
"People could make full use of the green transition as a new economic driver, which also adds decent jobs and boosts sustainable growth," said Li Zheng, executive vice president of the Institute of Climate Change and Sustainable Development, Tsinghua University.
