MOFCOM and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government jointly held the Eighth Forum on Industrial International Competitiveness in Shanghai on 18 December. Chong Quan, deputy China international trade representative, attended the Forum and delivered a keynote speech.

Chong Quan pointed out that it is apparent to notice China's achievements made in economic construction and industrial development in recent years, comprehensive national strength obviously being improved, ranking the second of the global economy, having edged into the group of middle-income countries. International competitiveness of China’s industries has a significant increase. In 2011, China’s manufacturing output accounted for about 20% of the global amount, remaining the first largest country of global manufacturing industry. Infrastructure kept accelerating, with a great increase of mileage in railway, road and civil aviation as well as a rapid development of energy and post and telecommunications. Meanwhile, China has played a significant role in global economic growth. In 2011, China accounted for about 10% of the total global economic shares, 5.6 percentage points higher than that of 2002, with an annual contribution of over 20% to global economic growth. Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, the growth rate of China’s imports is much higher than that of global imports, playing a positive role in boosting global demands.

Mr. Chong believed that China’s industrial development is still confronted with arduous tasks: 1. Transformation and upgrading of industrial structure. Generally speaking, China's industries are still in the middle stage of industrialization. A close combination of science & technology with industries is urgently needed. With innovation as a driving force and technology as a guide, we should speed up transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and push forward a sound development of emerging strategic industries and advanced manufacturing. 2. Accelerating urbanization development. China’s urbanization coverage is much lower than that of developed countries at an average level. China will strengthen urbanization construction, strongly promote a beneficial interaction of industrialization and urbanization, enhance quality and level of urbanization with the help of industrialization, support industrial transformation and upgrading as well as modernization development with the help of urbanization, and further foster a huge potential in investment and consumption. 3. Developing and strengthening service sector. At present, China’s service sector is still at a lower level, and new growth points will be fuelled by propelling the development of service sector, especially the level of producer service. 4. Reinforcing the construction of ecological civilization. Nowadays China’s industrial development mode relies mostly on high investment, consumption, and emission, which is more and more restricted by various aspects such as energies, resources and environment. The 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China has listed ecological civilization construction into the overall layouts of national construction, regarding it as a priority in economic development.

Mr. Chong emphasized that there is still a gap between China’s development level of industries and that of developed countries, but the gap is both a potential and a driving force. Industrial transformation and upgrading as well as ecological civilization construction foster a dramatic demand for the achievements of science and technology, being a technological market for China and the world. Urbanization expansion and producer service development foster a great demand for advanced and competitive industries and products, being an investment and consumption market for China and the world. Mr. Chong called for that all the countries jointly adhere to the principles of free trade and fair competition, and perfect open oriented economic system; jointly conform to the trend of times, and enhance the depth and width of cooperation, so as to make great efforts to realize mutual benefits and win-win; jointly take the opportunity of scientific and technological revolution, and promote overall industrial transformation and upgrading as well as enhance China’s competitiveness.

With the theme of “Cooperation and Win-win, Balanced Development and Jointly Coping with Common Challenges”, and the subject of “Competition and Cooperation among International Industries” and the “Approaches and the Conditions to Upgrade International Competitiveness of China’s Industries”, the Forum included the opening ceremony, theme forum, subject forum and entrepreneur forum. Over 200 people attended the Forum, including the representatives from relevant departments of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, as well as relevant representatives, experts and scholars from relevant departments of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, several local departments for commerce, relevant foreign embassies and consulates in China and enterprises both at home and abroad.