Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua encouraged efforts to develop the business sector and promote all-around opening-up during an inspection trip to Jiangsu province from May 8 to 9.

During the inspection, Hu visited several enterprises in the fields of technology, energy, information electronics and machinery in Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou.

“We should encourage enterprises to step up technological innovation and reach an international, advanced level,” he said.

He added new models of trade, such as cross-border e-commerce, should be promoted to provide new momentum for the development of foreign trade.

The vice-premier then visited free trade zones in Suzhou and Wuxi, learning about their industrial layout, supervision and customs clearance efficiency.

“The customs system should substantially increase customs clearance efficiency, and further reduce the customs clearance time by one-third this year,” he noted.

Hu then visited the human resources market in Changzhou to inspect local labor training and employment.

“Labor training should be strengthened, and modern information technology should be better utilized to balance labor supply and demand,” he said.

The vice-premier also called for efforts to deepen reform and opening-up and attain annual targets at a symposium attended by related leaders from Jiangsu province, Zhejiang province, Shanghai and Guangzhou.