Fourth, the ＂new＂ consolidation of the basic growth of foreign trade, the emergence of new ＂engines＂ and new ＂hot spots＂ in consumption

　　CCTV News:The State Council Press Office held a press conference on January 26th, and the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce introduced that in 2023, China’s business operation showed three characteristics: "maintaining stability", "improving quality" and "increasing capacity".

　　Specifically, in terms of consumption, the total retail sales of social consumer goods reached a record high. In 2023, the contribution rate of final consumption expenditure to economic growth reached 82.5%; Online retail sales increased by 11% and continued to maintain a rapid growth rate; The retail sales of services increased by 20%, showing great growth potential.

　　In terms of foreign trade, the import and export of goods has achieved positive growth in RMB on the basis of a high base, and the international market share of exports has stabilized at around 14%. China’s import and export of intermediate products accounted for 61.1%, which remained at a historical high. The proportion of import and export of private enterprises increased by 3.1 percentage points, reaching 53.5%.

　　In terms of two-way investment, the scale of actually used foreign capital was the third highest in history, and the number of newly established foreign-funded enterprises increased by 39.7%.

　　In terms of foreign investment, the growth rate of foreign investment in manufacturing, wholesale and retail is higher than the average. Foreign investment cooperation in the fields of green, digital and blue continued to expand, and foreign non-financial direct investment increased by 16.7% in RMB.

　　Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao:New kinetic energy for development in some fields is constantly emerging, and green, healthy, intelligent products and domestic "tidal products" are favored and become new consumption hotspots. Automobile exports increased by more than 50% and cross-border e-commerce exports increased by 19.6%, all of which have become new "engines" for foreign trade growth.

　　In 2023, China completed the negotiation on the text of the WTO investment facilitation agreement, which was the first major topic led by China in the WTO. Newly signed or upgraded free trade agreements with four countries including Nicaragua. The first China plan on strengthening international economic and trade cooperation in the digital and green fields was released, and more than 30 countries and international organizations responded positively.

　　Set about four "new" ways to consolidate the basic foreign trade.

　　At the press conference on January 26, the relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Commerce said that in 2024, efforts will be made to introduce new policies, cultivate new kinetic energy, open up new markets, release new potential, and continue to consolidate the basic foreign trade.

　　Pay close attention to introducing new policies. In April 2023, China promoted the idea of stable scale and excellent structure of foreign trade. According to the new situation and new tasks in 2024, we should pay close attention to a new round of policy research and evaluation, introduce new policies as soon as possible, and form a "combination boxing" with existing policies.

　　Accelerate the cultivation of new kinetic energy. Expand the trade of raw materials, semi-finished products, parts and other intermediate products. Promote the development of new formats and new models such as cross-border e-commerce, bonded maintenance and market procurement. Formulate a catalogue of import and export goods for green and low-carbon products, accelerate the digitalization of international trade documents, and promote the green development of trade and the digital transformation of the whole chain.

　　Help open up new markets. Continue to run important exhibitions such as Canton Fair and Service Trade Fair, actively support enterprises to participate in overseas exhibitions, continue to promote the convenience of cross-border business personnel, help enterprises better connect with the market and customers, and strive for more orders.

　　Release new import potential. Expand the import of high-quality consumer goods, advanced technology, important equipment and key parts, increase the import of energy resources products and domestic agricultural products in short supply, give full play to the role of important exhibition platforms such as China International Import Expo(CIIE), expand diversified import channels, and improve the facilitation level of import trade.