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| Mr. Wei Jianguo is in charge of the Department of Western Asian and African Affairs, Department of Electromechanical Products & Science and Technology Industry, Department of Aid to Foreign Countries, the Executive Bureau of International Economic Cooperation and China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Machinery & Electronic Products. |
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| Vice Minister Wei Jianguo made a speech at the National Working Conference on the Import and Export of Electromechanical Products |
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On March 26, the National Working Conference on the Import and Export of Electromechanical Products was held in Hangzhou. This was the first national conference hosted by the newly established Ministry of Commerce. Reviewing the achievements and experiences in the work of importing and exporting electromechanical products in the last 5 years and analyzing the circumstances and difficulties confronting the export endeavor, the conference called for unified ideas in pursuit of meeting all targets for the import and export of electromechanical products in 2003.
Vice Minister Wei Jianguo, member of the Leading Party Group of the Ministry of Commerce, and Chairman of the National Electromechanical Product Import and Export Office, made an important speech sharing in-depth analysis of the circumstances facing China’s endeavor to import and export electromechanical products. He asked for great attention to and intensified effort in studying the trends of international manufacturing industry transfer in the globalization process. Mr. Wei elaborated that the rapidly growing electromechanical trade had facilitated the successful integration of China’s manufacturing industry into the economic globalization process, while the latter had accelerated the high-tech transfer and industrial upgrading. He stressed that the electromechanical industry should be more actively involved in the economic globalization process. The relationship between foreign trade growth and national economic development should be correctly dealt with, Vice Minister Wei said, taking up half of China’s foreign trade volume, electromechanical trade must be appropriately estimated from the overall prospective of the national economic development so as to make it serve the national economy better.
Vice Minister Wei summarized the achievements made in the last 5 years in electromechanical product import and export. In 2002, China’s total trade volume of electromechanical products was US$ 312.68, 2.64 times of that of 1997. Its export volume was US$ 157.08 billion, 2.65 folds of that of 1997 realizing an average annual growth of 21.5%. Currently, a group of Chinese electromechanical products come out top in the world in terms of output and export volume. Among them, TV sets, DVD players, mobile phones, monitors program-controlled switchboards, air-conditioners, containers, optical components, power tools, small electrical home appliances rank the first calculated by worldwide export quantity. By the end of 2002, there had been 85 companies exporting electromechanical products more than US$ 100 million. Six of them boast an export volume of over US$ 1 billion. For 8 years in a row, electromechanical product has taken the position as the largest category in terms of export quantity. While trade is rapidly increasing, the export commodity mix is shifting quickly from capital- and labor-intensive to technology-intensive product. More and more exports tend to be downstream processing and high value added products bearing high technology content. In 2002, high-tech electromechanical product export valued at US$ 66.13 billion, accounting for 98% of the total export of high-tech products and 42% of the total electromechanical goods. It has played an important role in perfecting the export commodity structure. The market structure is also more diversified. While export to key markets is constantly growing, encouraging results are seen in new markets. Regular trade activities are thriving together with processing trade. Various export entities emerge and grow assisting the quickly rising export figure won by the state-owned and collectively-owned enterprises. As a result, a structure of diversified trading entities has basically taken shape. As major regions keep a strong growing momentum in export, the central and western regions are making new breakthroughs in their export endeavor. China’s legal framework governing foreign trade is getting better day by day leading to more effective macro control on import. The public bidding practices China adopts for electromechanical products are more standardized and in good order. All the above have resulted in the fact that electromechanical product becomes an important impetus for China’s foreign trade and national economic development. In 2002, the trade volume of the product took up more than 50% of China’s total trade figure, 14 percentage points higher than 1997. The export percentage rose from 33% at the end of 1997 to 43% in 2002, driving up the average annual export growth by 7.7 percentage points. The increase in export of electromechanical product accounted for 68% of the country’s total export increase.
Vice Minister Wei emphasized that the achievements in the electromechanical product trade was attributable to the correct guidance of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council, as well as the great support of various departments and regions. In addition, it owes to the continuity and stability of the trade policies playing guiding and demonstrative role. During the 5 years, unremitting efforts have been made to improve the export commodity mix and strengthen the competitiveness of electromechanical product in the world market on the basis of reinforced manufacturing system. In order to more effectively export electromechanical product, priorities have been fully recognized and potentialities vigorously tapped. As part of the continuous efforts to adjust the commodity structure, the export of large and complete-plant equipment has been strongly assisted and encouraged. At the same time, to adapt to the quickening trend of economic globalization and regional economic integration, timely measures have been taken to push forward the import system reform for more effective import control. With respect to the public bidding practices for electromechanical product, strict compliance with legal regulations and standards has always been stressed. In line with the requirement of the new circumstances and new missions, untiring efforts are needed to foster a strong team of people devoting to electromechanical product import and export.
Looking into the work of this year and a long period of time in the future to promote electromechanical product trade, Vice Minster Wei asked for materialization of the requirements put forward at the 16th Party Congress, i.e. “To come up with new ideas for development, make new breakthrough in reform, break new ground in opening up, and make new moves in all fields of endeavor’’. Mr. Wei requested for greater efforts in the research and promotion of electromechanical product trade, in accordance with the overall situation of the national economic development in the coming 2 decades. He further pointed out that the strategy on the import and export of electromechanical products should be worked out focusing on improving the industrial structure and aiming at promoting the economic restructuring, driving up the domestic demand and increasing employment and national income. The Vice Minister called for utmost efforts in order to realize the grand objective of quadrupling China’s foreign trade volume and transforming China from a big trading nation in terms of quantity to a quality trading power.
In order to quicken up this transformation of China, efforts in the following areas are needed: Centering on restructuring, striving to expand the export of electromechanical products, providing more effective and definite guidance for different industries, further increasing the proportion of high-tech electromechanical product export, promoting the extension of industry chain to nurture industry clusters and encourage their R&D effort, and strengthening coordination with related departments for the establishment of a comprehensive service network. Sufficient attention shall be paid to developing processing trade. To offer upstream and downstream industry supports necessary for the development of processing trade, measures should be taken to increase the proportion of local sourcing by applying modern information technology, reforming the existing regulatory means, simplifying relevant formalities and improving the supervisory efficiency to cope with the characteristics of the high-tech industry, i.e. “No inventory manufacturing on the basis of global sourcing”. The successful experiences in the experimental “Integrated Customs Clearance Mechanism” should be quickly popularized bringing about better coordination between the customs and quality inspection agencies and the establishment of an efficient, convenient and suitable regulatory and supervisory system in areas with concentrated processing trade activities. A system supporting SMEs shall be set up or consolidated assisting them in international market exploration. Balanced economic development in different regions shall be facilitated. In line with the institutional reform scheme of the State Council, prompt steps should be taken to transform government functions for the purpose of establishing a candid, transparent, clean and efficient team engaging in trading electromechanical products.
In closing, Vice Minister Wei emphasized that after the founding of the Ministry of Commerce, people dedicating to electromechanical product trade would shoulder a bigger number of harder and demanding responsibilities. Thus he urged all in the circle, under the leadership of the Central Party Committee with Mr. Hu Jintao as the Secretary General and guided by the important thoughts of the “Three Represents”, to earnestly act in the spirit of the 16th Party Congress, the 1st Session of the 10th National People’s Congress and the Central Economic Working Conference. He further expressed his encouragement to make innovative and practical efforts in order to meet all specific import and export targets for new breakthrough in the trade of electromechanical products and ultimately make greater contribution to the development of the national economy by keeping abreast of the times while absorbing previous experiences in the light of the plan shaped at the National Foreign Trade Working Conference and the actual circumstances.
(Information by Network Center of MOFCOM)
(News source: English Website of Ministry of Commerce)
(All information published in this website is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only. )
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