Premier Li Keqiang presided over a symposium attended by foreign experts working in China ahead of the Lunar New Year at the Great Hall of People in Beijing on Jan 25.
Paul Romer, a Nobel laureate in economics and professor at New York University, Peter Sachsenmeier, member of the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering of Germany and professor at Oxford University, Konstantin Novoselov, a Nobel laureate in physics and professor at the University of Manchester, Juan Jesus Guanche Perez, a Cuban academician and vice-president of Hebei Foreign Studies University, and Christopher Flensborg, a Swedish expert in finance, delivered speeches on various issues including economic growth, technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing, environment protection and more. Premier Li had an in-depth exchange of views with them.
The Premier extended his gratitude to foreign experts across the board on behalf of the Chinese government for their unswerving commitment to China’s reform and opening-up as well as their valuable opinions on the public inquiry for the Government Work Report.
Against the backdrop of complicated international situations in 2018, China retained a steady economic growth with a 6.6 percent annual GDP increase. It was a hard-won achievement as it is on the basis of China’s very high economic output, fairly sufficient employment and continuous improvement of environment, the Premier said.
In spite of multiple risks and challenges in 2019, the Premier said, China’s economy has enough resilience, potential and ample room for growth, especially with a huge domestic market and rich human resources of nearly 1.4 billion people, therefore, China was fully confident and capable of keeping economic growth rate within an appropriate range.
China will unswervingly promote its reform and opening-up to inspire the vitality and creativity of some 100 million market entities, he said, adding that China will further streamline administration, delegate more power, strengthen regulation, provide better services, reduce taxes and fees on a larger scale, further ease market access and provide a business environment of fair competition.
China is committed to opening wider to the outside world and learning advanced technology and experience from foreign countries, he said.
As a developing country, China will stay a stickler to inclusive development, encouraging the entrance of international competitive commodities and technologies. In the meantime, intellectual property rights will be better protected, and market transformation of innovation results will be accelerated, in order to boost innovation and social progress, the Premier said.
Welcoming foreign experts to work in China, Premier Li said China will further improve policies to better facilitate their work and life and hopes that they will offer more advice to promote the common development of China and the world.
Vice-premier Liu He, State Councilor and Secretary-General of the State Council Xiao Jie and head of the National Development and Reform Commission He Lifeng also attended the symposium.
