(Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday insisted on adopting high standards for the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while listening to a work report in Sanya, south China’s island province of Hainan, on the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port.
The construction of the port is a major policy measure taken by the CPC Central Committee to comprehensively deepen reform and opening-up in the new era, Xi said.
He stressed the need to seriously study and implement the guiding principles of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, and called for achieving the development goals of the Hainan Free Trade Port in all respects through close coordination, proactive actions and sustained efforts.
The Hainan Free Trade Port will officially launch island-wide special customs operations on December 18 this year, which Xi said is a historic step taken by China to relentlessly expand its high-level opening-up and promote the development of an open world economy.
In order to make the Hainan Free Trade Port a key gateway for opening up the country to the new era, it is imperative to fully implement the Hainan Free Trade Port Construction Master Plan, implement the Hainan Free Trade Port Law, and establish the framework of policies and institutions that align with the high-level free trade port in a series of steps and phases, he said.
Xi called for greater efforts to gradually expand institutional opening-up, advance trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and better facilitate the cross-border circulation of production factors.
He also stressed the need to develop more open talent management mechanisms, advance administrative system reform, and foster a first-class, market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment.
The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port to high standards aims to promote the high-quality development of Hainan and contribute to the establishment of a new development model nationwide, Xi said.
Hainan should closely focus on its strategic positioning as a pilot zone for comprehensively deepening reform and opening-up, a national pilot zone for ecological conservation, a tourism and international consumption destination and a service zone for national major strategies, to comprehensively boost the economic and social development of the province, he said.
Efforts should be made to develop a modernized industrial system that takes advantage of Hainan’s advantages and strengths, promote the modernization of leading industries, and advance the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation to achieve breakthroughs in the development of new-quality productive forces, Xi called.
Hainan should play a leading role in promoting high-level opening-up by strengthening coordinated development with the neighboring Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, deepening cross-regional cooperation with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta and the Yangtze Economic Belt, and deeply integrating into cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, he added.
Highlighting Hainan’s ecological advantages, Xi called for greater efforts to advance the high-quality development of the national pilot zone for ecological conservation. He also insisted on improving the well-being of the population and making concrete progress towards common prosperity.
Stressing the importance of continuing development while ensuring security, Xi said the opening of Hainan should be done in a scientific and orderly manner, effectively identifying and preventing potential risks.
On fully enforcing strict discipline within the Party, Xi said it is imperative to foster a healthy and honest political environment while eliminating breeding grounds and conditions for corruption.
He also urged Hainan to closely monitor Typhoon Kalmaegi and take concrete prevention and emergency response measures to minimize losses.
Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee, attended the work report meeting.
