Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin, October 20 — Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People's Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, recently issued important instructions on the work of national-level economic and technological development zones, pointing out that the establishment of these zones is a crucial step in China’s drive to advance reform and opening-up. Over the past 40 years, national-level economic and technological development zones have consistently upheld the principle of expanding openness, deepened reform and innovation, worked hard with determination and vigor, and made positive contributions to building a new open economic system, promoting coordinated regional development, and fostering high-quality industrial growth.

Xi Jinping emphasized that, in the new era and on the new journey ahead, national-level economic and technological development zones must thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China as well as the Second and Third Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee. They must uphold the Party’s overall leadership, put into practice the new development philosophy, and focus closely on advancing Chinese-style modernization. By continuously stimulating innovation vitality and endogenous momentum, these zones should actively participate in building a new development paradigm and use high-level opening-up to promote deeper reforms and high-quality development. They must boldly take the lead in reform and opening-up, further improving the institutional mechanisms for high-level opening-up. They should actively engage in high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, expand international cooperation, innovate investment attraction approaches, and help build the “Invest in China” brand. Moreover, they must consolidate and enhance the industrial foundation of advanced manufacturing, promote industrial upgrading toward high-end, green, and digital directions, develop digital industries and industries of the future tailored to local conditions, and foster new forms of productive forces suited to regional realities.

The symposium marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of national-level economic and technological development zones was held in Tianjin on the 20th. He Lifeng, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, delivered important instructions from Xi Jinping and delivered a speech at the meeting. He Lifeng pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions serve as the fundamental guiding principle and action guide for doing a good job in the development of national-level economic and technological development zones in the new era and on the new journey ahead. We must deeply study and implement the spirit of these important instructions from General Secretary Xi Jinping, gain a profound understanding of the new situation facing the development of national-level economic and technological development zones, focus on the central tasks and serve the overall interests, create a testing ground for institutional and mechanism reforms and innovations, take the lead in promoting high-level opening-up, build demonstration zones for developing new-quality productive forces suited to local conditions, strive to be promoters of regional opening-up and coordinated development, and become a vital force driving economic transformation and upgrading and serving the construction of a new development paradigm, thus endeavoring to open up a new chapter in the work of economic and technological development zones.

Relevant officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Central Organization and Establishment Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Ministry of Natural Resources, as well as from Tianjin, Jiangsu, Anhui, Guangxi, and several national-level economic and technological development zones, delivered speeches.