Speech at China Development Forum 2011
中华人民共和国商务部陈德铭
Chen Deming, Chinese Commerce Minister
钓鱼台国宾馆
Diaoyutai State Guesthouse
2011年3月20日
March 20, 2011
尊敬的王梦奎主任，
女士们，先生们：
Honorable President Wang Mengkui,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
今年是中国实施“十二五”规划的第一年，也是加入世贸组织的第十个年头。借此机会，我愿意与各位交流对中国“新时期对外开放战略”的一些看法。
The year 2011 is the first year of China’s 12th Five-Year-Plan and the 10th anniversary of China’s accession into the WTO. Here, I would avail myself of this opportunity to deliberate with you on China’s opening-up strategy in the new period.
十年前，在面临诸多困难和严峻挑战的情况下，中国在制造业、农业、服务业和知识产权等领域，做出了广泛而深远的承诺，成为世贸组织的一员。下这个决心，实属不易。
Ten years ago, China made vast and in-depth commitments in industry, agriculture, services and intellectual property rights when confronting difficulties and challenges as to enter into the WTO. It is very difficult for China to make such commitments.
十年来，中国从一个世贸组织的新成员，通过不断学习规则、熟悉规则、遵守规则，逐渐成为规则制订的参与者和推动者。在这个过程中，中国付出了艰辛的努力，清理了三千多部法律法规和部门规章，平均关税从15.3%降到9.8%，开放了一百多个服务贸易部门。中国企业面对市场不断开放和关税大幅下调的压力，经历了艰难甚至痛苦的调整，在激烈的国际竞争中不断成长。
In past decade, China, through studying and obeying the WTO rules, successfully turned from a fresh WTO member to a participant and impellor in formulating the rules. In the period, the Chinese government made great efforts. China has opened more than 100 sectors in service trade and widely sorted out laws and regulations involving over 3000 laws and regulations. Besides, China's customs duty rate dropped from 15.3 present to 9.8 percent in average. When facing with the increasingly open market and pressure of sharp reduction of customs duty rates, Chinese enterprises grew up through formidable and even torturous adjustment in the drastic international competition.
中国加入世贸组织时，一些成员对中国是否能忠实履行承诺，曾经抱有疑虑。我们用行动对此做出了回答。世贸组织总干事拉米曾对中国履行承诺作出“A+”的评价，这是对中国的肯定和鼓励。这十年的实践也证明，加入世贸组织不仅促进了中国经济发展，也更加密切了中国与世界各国的联系，实现了互利共赢。今天与会的各位，都是这一进程的亲历者和见证者。30年前，中国对于全球经济增长的贡献只占3%，而在2009年和2010年则超过50%。世贸组织在第三次对华贸易审议时指出，在应对金融危机期间，中国在刺激全球需求方面“发挥了建设性的作用”，为世界经济稳定“做出了重要贡献”。
Although some WTO members doubted whether China could abide by the rules and fulfill its commitments, China has proved through deeds that it could. The WTO Director-General Lamy assessed China’s fulfillment of its commitments as “A+”, which is the confirmation and encourage for China’s efforts. Practices in the past decade have proved that China’s accession into the WTO has not only improved its economic development but also made China’s ties with other countries ever closer and realized win-win. People present here today are all witnesses of the process. Both in 2009 and 2010, China’s contribution to the global economic growth only took up over a half instead of 3 percent 30 years ago. The WTO pointed out in the 3rd review on China’s trade policies that China played “a constructive role” in stimulating the global demand and made “important contributions” to stabilizing the world economy.
女士们，先生们，
Ladies and Gentlemen,
近代以来，中国曾经长期闭关锁国，中国人民对封闭导致落后的教训有着切身体会。如今，我们真真切切感受到对外开放带来的好处，对通过开放实现现代化有着强烈的渴望。我们深刻地认识到，开放有助于利用全球要素，拓展发展空间和机遇；有助于参与国际竞争与合作，激发技术进步和创新；有助于兼收并蓄世界各种文明成果，增强本民族生命力和创造力。
In modern times, China shut its door to rest of the world for a long time when the Chinese people suffered a lot from the backward country caused by the reclusive policy. Now, we clearly felt the benefits brought by the opening-up policy and the strong aspirations to realize modernization by opening-up. We are deeply aware that opening-up is beneficial to making use of global factors to explore development opportunities, participating into international competition and cooperation, accelerating the advance of technologies and innovation of systems, and drawing on different civilization fruits in the world as to strengthen the vitality and creativity of our nation.
经过30多年对外开放的洗礼，中国人的开放意识更加强烈，产业发展基础更加坚实，扩大开放的社会条件更加成熟。我们对新形势下进一步提高对外开放水平充满信心。在刚刚结束的“”上，总理表示，中国的发展离不开世界。中国的“十二五”规划也明确提出要“实施互利共赢的开放战略”。可以说，进一步提高对外开放水平，已经在中国社会取得高度共识。我们将继续十年前那样的勇气和决心，实行更加积极主动的开放战略，以开放促发展、以开放促改革、以开放促创新。
Through the baptism of opening-up in past over 30 years, the Chinese people’s awareness of opening-up is more intense, their foundation of industrial development is more solid and their social conditions of expanding opening-up are more mature. We are full of confidence in opening wider to the rest of the world under the new situation. In the CPPCC & NPC sessions 2011, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China cannot develop itself in isolation of the world. It is clearly pointed out to “implement mutually-beneficial and win-win opening up strategy” in China’s 12th Five-Year-Plan. To further improve the opening-up has achieved high-intensive consensus in China. We will continue our courage and determination as it in the past decade to implement a more active strategy of promoting the development, reforms and innovation by opening-up.
女士们，先生们，
Ladies and Gentlemen,
目前，国际金融危机的深层次影响还在持续，世界经济受到欧债危机、中东局势动荡、日本大地震等突发因素影响，不确定性增加。全球资金流动性过剩，大宗商品价格上涨，通胀预期的压力加大。中国国内也面临着环境资源约束增强、原材料价格上涨、劳动力成本上升等问题，传统比较优势正在逐步削弱，宏观更趋稳健。面对新的国际国内形势，“十二五”期间，中国将坚持进口和出口并重、吸收外资和对外投资并重，把提高对外开放水平作为转变经济发展方式的新动力。
At present, profound impacts by the international financial crisis remain. The uncertainties of the world economy are building up owing to European debt crisis, volatile situation in the Middle East, high-intensity earthquake in Japan. There exist excess liquidity in the globe, price-hike of major commodities, and great expectations on inflation. China faces domestic issues of environment resource restraint, price hike of raw materials, increasing labor cost, weakening traditional comparative advantages and steady implementation of macro-control policies. In the new international and domestic circumstances, China will attach equal importance to import and export, to foreign investment and domestic investment, and take improving its opening-up as the new driving force in transformation of the economic development pattern.
30年来，出口对中国经济增长的年均贡献率达到20%。目前，外贸直接带动就业人数超过8000万，其中60%来自于农村。稳定出口不仅关系到我国经济增长、劳动就业，还关系到城乡协调发展、关系到国内消费可持续增长。我们将加快推进结构调整，着力培育参与国际竞争和合作的新优势，努力保持出口稳定增长。
In the past three decades, China’s exports contribute to economic growth at an annual rate of 20% in average. Currently, foreign trade directly drove up the total employment of more than 80 million, 60% of which came from rural areas. Steady export matters not only for China’s economic growth and employment but also for the coordinated development of urban and rural areas and sustainable growth of domestic consumption. China will accelerate the economic restructuring, make efforts in fostering new competitive advantages in international competition and cooperation, and strive to keep the steady growth of export.
近年来，中国更加注重发挥进口对宏观经济平衡和结构调整的积极作用。我们通过引进先进设备、技术和管理经验，大大提高了生产力和管理水平。中国进口也是世界经济增长的重要推动力，为缓解世界发展不平衡做出了巨大贡献。2010年，美国对中国的出口增幅是32.2%，欧盟是30.2%，日本是36.6%，都远高于其自华进口增幅。目前，中国是日本、韩国、东盟、澳大利亚、巴西、南非等国和地区的第一大出口市场，欧盟的第二大出口市场，美国的第三大出口市场。今后，我们还将继续增加从最不发达国家和主要贸易顺差来源国的进口，也希望那些对华有较大贸易逆差的国家能够放宽出口管制措施，为促进双边贸易平衡发展营造良好的环境。
In recent years, China pays increasing attention to the role of imports in promoting the balance of macro-economy and structural adjustment. We vigorously improved the productivity and management by bringing in advanced equipments, technologies and management experiences. China's imports are a significant driving force for global economic growth and contribute substantially to scale down the imbalances of global trade. In 2010, the U.S. export to China increased by 32.2%, EU export to China by 30.2% and Japan export to by 36.6%, all far higher than the growth rate of their respective import from China. China now is the first largest export market for Japan, ROK, ASEAN, Australia, Brazil and South Africa, the second largest export market for EU, and the third largest export market for the United States. China will continue increasing its import from least developed countries and the countries and regions where their trade with China is in surplus. China hopes that countries that their trade with China is in deficit could relax its export control so as to create great policy environment for the balanced development of bilateral trade.
事实上，经过我们的努力，中国的对外贸易正朝着更加平衡的方向发展。据中国海关统计，2009年中国的贸易顺差比2008年减少了1000亿美元，2010年又进一步减少了126亿美元，今年前两个月还出现了逆差，其中2月份当月逆差73.1亿美元。我们预计，全年贸易顺差占国内生产总值的比重还将在去年3.1%的基础上进一步下降。
In fact, China’s foreign trade is developing more balanced by our efforts. According to the statistics of Chinese Customs, China’s trade surplus in 2009 is US$100 billion less compare with the previous year, and in 2010 it further down by US$12.6 billion. In particular, there was a trade deficit in the first two years of 2011. The trade is in deficit in February of 2011, amounting to US$7.31 billion. It is anticipated that the ratio of China’s trade surplus to its GDP this year will drop further from 3.1% last year.
我们还注意到，一段时期以来，部分外界人士对中国的投资环境提出质疑。有的朋友甚至问，中国是不是不再欢迎外资了？我的回答是，中国转变经济发展方式、扩大内需，不仅不会排斥外资，相反需要发挥外资更积极的作用。我们将与全球资本共同发展、分享繁荣。
We have noted that, some people have doubts on China’s investment environment; some even, asked whether China would welcome foreign investment any longer. And my answer is that China’s efforts to transform its economic development pattern and expand domestic demand don’t mean it will shut out foreign investment, rather, it will let it play a more active role. China and global capital will grow together and share flourish.
近年来，中国逐步取消了针对外资企业的一些税收优惠措施，实现了内外资企业“两税合一”，这是市场经济公平竞争的必然要求。前不久，我们公布了外资并购安全审查制度，不设置新门槛或行政许可程序，而是参照世界各国通行做法，使更加透明、公正，具有可操作性。我们鼓励自主创新的覆盖境内所有企业，适用于依法在中国设立的外资企业。在采购领域，我们将采取公开透明的办法，让内外资企业和产品享受平等的待遇。我们继续欢迎外资企业参与中国的改革开放进程，所有内外资企业在中国都一视同仁。
It is necessary for fair market competition that China has rescinded some preferential policies for foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and set a uniform taxation rate for domestic firms and FIEs. Recently, China’s publication of the rules governing foreign takeover of Chinese companies is in line with international best practices with the purpose of making our policies more transparent and fair, and would result in no additional administrative procedures. The policies designed to encourage innovation in China are applicable to all enterprises running business in China, including the FIEs. In government procurement, the Chinese government would follow an open and transparent policy to grant completely equal treatment to Chinese and foreign firms as well as their products. We will continue welcoming FIEs to participate into China’s reforms and opening-up. All domestic firms and FIEs will be treated equally.
我们还将更加重视“走出去”，推动“引进来”和“走出去”平衡发展。2003年，中国对外直接投资额仅为28亿美元，到2010年已经增加到590亿美元，相当于当年吸收外资的六成左右。预计未来5—10年，中国将逐步实现资本“进”和“出”的基本平衡。我们也希望一些国家改善投资环境，给予中国企业平等准入待遇，切实保护中国企业、机构和人员的合法权益。
We will attach more importance to “going global” and promote the balanced development of “bringing in” and “going global”. In 2003, China’s outward direct investment was US$2.8 billion and in 2010, it hit US$59 billion, which equals to 60 percent of the foreign direct investment in China. In the next five to 10 years, China will gradually strike a balance on the capital flow. We also hope that some countries could improve their investment environment, treat Chinese enterprises as equals in market access, and safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, institutions and personnel.
女士们，先生们，
Ladies and Gentlemen,
发展中国家翘首以待的谈判已进行了整整十年，谈判能否取得成功，对巩固多边贸易，对全球经济复苏，都意义重大。当前，我们面临稍纵即逝的 “机会之窗”，如果各方能真正表现灵活性，在锁定既有成果的基础上向前推进，将为世界经济强劲、平衡、可持续增长提供一个切实的保障。中国愿意在多哈回合谈判中和各个成员一道，为实现这一崇高的目标共同努力。
The WTO Doha Round Negotiation launched 10 years ago. The success of the Negotiation is significant for consolidating multilateral trading system and global economic recovery. If all parties could push forward the Negotiation based on the achieved fruits, we will provide a practical safeguard system for the strong, balanced and sustainable growth of the world economy. China will join WTO members in Doha Round Negotiations and make efforts to reach lofty goals.
谢谢大家！
Thank you!
