BEIJING, April 24 -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Thursday underscored the importance of advancing cross-border trade facilitation and expanding opening up as part of the country's efforts to develop new institutions for a higher-standard open economy.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while attending a launch event for an initiative aimed at advancing cross-border trade facilitation in 25 cities nationwide.

The vice premier emphasized the need to implement the initiative measures and to promptly replicate successful pilot practices nationwide.

He stressed the need to proactively address new challenges from recent U.S. additional tariffs, urging efforts to adopt goal-oriented and problem-solving approaches that prioritize business demands, scale up policy support, and tackle practical difficulties to invigorate new drivers of export growth and optimize the port business environment.

He also called for deepening international exchanges and alignment of rules and mechanisms to facilitate economic and trade cooperation and personnel exchanges. He also called for faster progress in developing smart customs systems to serve overall development.