继往开来,再续新篇

继往开来，再续新篇继往开来，再续新篇外经贸部部长石广生（2001年3月13日）女士们，先生们，记者朋友们：在此，我首先要感谢两会新闻中心的安排，使我有机会与在座的记者朋友见面。

借此机会，我愿意向各位朋友简要介绍中国外经贸事业在"九五"期间取得的成就和我们对未来5年外经贸发展的基本设想。

"九五"期间是我国外经贸事业发展的重要时期，我国对外经济贸易经受住了亚洲金融危机的严峻考验，保持了不断发展的良好势头。

"九五"期间，我国货物贸易进出口额由1995年的2808亿美元增加到2000年的4743亿美元，增长了1.68倍，年均增长11%，超额完成了"九五"计划提出的进出口额达4000亿美元的奋斗目标。

我国在世界贸易中的排名由1995年的第11位上升到1999年的第9位，2000年还有望进一步上升。

1996-2000年，我国累计吸收外商直接投资2134.8亿美元（实际到资金额），比"八五"期间增长87%，年均吸收外资规模保持在400亿美元以上，自1993年以来，我国一直是吸收外商直接投资最多的发展中国家。

九五"期间，我国的外经贸体制改革进一步深化，扩大对外开放的步伐明显加快。

我国对国有大中型生产企业、商业企业和科研院所进出口经营权实行了登记备案制，国有外经贸企业进行改组改制、建立现代企业制度迈出了新的步伐，历史性地开放了中外合资外贸进出口企业和中国私营生产企业进出口经营权。

截至目前，我国具有进出口经营权的各类企业达到3.2万多家。

另外已开业的18万家外商投资企业都具有进出口经营权，我国继续多次大幅下调关税水平，目前平均关税税率为15.3%，比"八五"期末的35.6%下降了57％，进一步改革配额和许可证制度。

我国进一步放宽了对外商投资领域的限制，商业、银行、保险、旅游等服务领域都已不同程度地对外商开放。

"九五"期间，对外经济贸易的质量、水平和效益进一步提高。

我国进出口商品结构进一步优化， 2000年，机电产品和高新技术产品占我国出口总额的比重分别达到42.3％和14.8％，比"八五"期间有了较大的增长。

"九五"期间，外商投资占同期全社会固定资产投资总额的12.7%，外商投资企业工业增加值占全国工业增加值的20.9％。

目前，已开业投产的外商投资企业近18万家，直接从业人员近2000万人。

中国对外投资、多种形式的经济合作取得重要进展。

外经贸事业的不断发展为国民经济的发展、产业结构的调整、运行质量的提高发挥了积极作用。

"九五"期间，我国积极参与多边、双边经贸合作，为国民经济发展营造了稳定的国际环境。

我国长达15年之久的复关和加入世贸组织的谈判，在"九五"期间取得重大进展。

目前我国加入世贸组织的谈判已进入最后阶段，中国加入世贸组织已为期不远。

通过"九五"期间的努力，我国全方位对外开放格局已基本形成，开放型经济迅速发展，展望未来5年，中国的对外开放和外经贸发展将进入一个新历史阶段。

按照我国《国民经济和社会发展第十个五年计划纲要》的精神，"十五"期间，我国外经贸发展的主要思路是：一、加快发展开放型经济，努力实现对外经济贸易的可持续发展。

到2005年，全国进出口贸易总额达到6800亿美元，进出口保持大体平衡。

机电产品、高科技产品在出口商品中所占的比重将提高到50%、20%左右；吸收外商直接投资规模保持年均400亿美元左右，力争有所增长。

"走出去"战略取得实质性进展，对外承包工程与劳务合作、对外援助等其他外经贸业务，也要在"九五"基础上取得新的更大的发展。

二、加快推进外经贸领域的两个根本性转变，提高我国外经贸的国际竞争力。

"十五"期间，我们要更好地实施以质取胜、市场多元化和科技兴贸战略，转变外经贸增长方式，坚持不懈地抓好外经贸结构调整，不断优化进出口商品结构、贸易方式结构、区域结构和市场结构，增加加工贸易的增值率，基本实现我国外经贸发展主要从依靠规模扩张和数量增长向主要依靠质量和效益的根本性转变。

三、以加入世贸组织为契机，加快建立新的中国对外经贸管理体制。

以法制和规则为基础，以改革为动力，以发展为目标，按照我国对外谈判的承诺，充分利用我国加入世贸组织的过渡期，加快建立符合国际规范和我国国情的外经贸新体制。

四、大力实施"走出去"的开放战略。

鼓励发挥我国有比较优势的对外投资，在更大范围和更深程度上参与国际竞争与合作。

较好地实现"引进来"和"走出去"的相互融合、相互补充，提高利用国际国内两个市场两种资源为我国现代化建设服务的层次和水平。

五、基本建立我国外经贸发展的促进和保障体系。

推进出口退税机制改革，建立稳定规范的出口退税机制。

完善以出口信贷和出口信用保险为重点的外经贸金融支持体系，推动出口信用保险与出口融资业务有机结合。

基本建立起比较完善的、符合世贸组织规则和我国国情的涉外经济法律体系。

六、推进国际电子商务的发展。

充实和完善"金关工程"，建立健全外经贸管理网络应用系统，初步实现外经贸管理、经营、信息的网络化，在电子商务、电子信息、电子政务上取得重要发展。

七、积极参与区域经济合作。

探讨和研究在一定区域内实现贸易投资自由化、便利化。

今年是"十五"计划的第一年。

今年前2个月，我国进出口额为699.1亿美元，比去年同期增长16%，其中出口361.4亿美元，同比增长14.5%，进口337.7亿美元，同比增长17.7%。

前2个月，我国合同利用外资金额92.02亿美元，实际利用外资金额45.76亿美元，分别比去年同期增长47.09%和24.15%。

从今年1-2月份外贸进出口的势头看，由于世界经济增长明显放慢以及中国外贸连续两年快速增长的高基数，今年中国外贸增长速度可能放慢，但我们相信，通过努力，我国外经贸仍有可能保持一定增长速度，实现"十五"计划的良好开局。

展望未来，迈入新世纪的中国将是更加开放的中国，我们愿意进一步与世界各国发展经贸关系，我们深信，中国国民经济和对外经济贸易的新发展，必将为促进世界经济的繁荣与稳定做出更大的贡献。

Carrying on the Past and Opening a new chapter for the futureMr. SHI GuangshengMinister for Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation(March 13th， 2001)Ladies and Gentlemen,Friends from the press,Let me start by thanking the news center of the NPC and CPPCC for its arrangement,which offers me an opportunity to meet friends from the media present today.Taking this opportunity, I would like brief you on the achievements thatChina scored in its foreign trade and economic cooperation cause duringthe Ninth Five-year Plan period as well as our tentative ideas on the developmentof foreign trade and economic cooperation in the next five years.The Ninth Five-year Plan period is an important one as far as our foreigntrade and economic development is concerned. Foreign trade and economiccooperation of our country withstood the severe test of the Asian financialcrisis and maintained a sound momentum of constant growth. During the time,the value of our goods import and export increased by 1.68 times from USD280.8 billion in 1995 to USD 474.3 billion in 2000, realizing an averageannual growth rate of 11%. The objective to achieve USD 400 billion worthof import and export total set out by the Ninth Five-year Plan was fulfilledahead of time. China's ranking in world trade was uplifted from the 11thplace in 1995 to the 9th in 1999 and it is hopeful to rise further. From1996 to 2000, we have cumulatively absorbed USD 213.48 billion of FDI (actually utilized value), 87% higher than that for the Eighth Five-year Plan period,the average annual FDI utilization scale remained above USD 40 billion.China has been the largest FDI recipient in developing countries since1993.During the Ninth Five-year Plan period, China's reform of its foreign tradeand economic cooperation regime went into further depth and China's openingup was obviously accelerated. China has exercised Registration for Record system for trading rights of the state-owned large- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, commercial enterprises and science and research institutes.The control over import and export right of private manufacturing enterpriseswas also lifted, which is of historic significance. So far China has 32,000 enterprises of various kinds with trading right (foreign-invested enterprises excluded). We reduced our tariff level by large margins many times, makingthe current average tariff rate standing at 15.3%, which is 33.4% lower compared with that at the end of the Eighth Five-year Plan period. Chinahas further relaxed restrictions on the fields for foreign investment,with commerce, banking, insurance, tourism and other service sectors already opened to foreign investors to varying degrees.During the Ninth Five-year Plan period, our foreign trade and economic cooperation was further improved in terms of quality, level and benefitsthus playing a more considerable role in promoting the national economic development. China's import and export mix was more optimized with the proportion of electromechanical products and hi-tech products in the exporttotal amounting to 42.3% and 14.8%. The industrial structure and geographic distribution of foreign investment tended to be more reasonable, and its contribution to the national economy was further intensified. In the meantime, foreign investment accounted for 12.7% of the total investment in socialfixed assets, the industrial added value yielded by foreign-invested enterprisestook up 20.9% in the industrial added value of the country. At present,the nearly 180,000 foreign-invested enterprises in operation have an employmentof almost 20 million. The constant development of foreign trade and economic cooperation has also contributed much to the steady growth of the country's foreign exchange reserve.During the Ninth Five-year Plan period, our country actively participatedin bilateral and multilateral economic and trade collaboration and cultivateda stable international environment for the national economic development.During the Ninth Five-year Plan period, great headway was made in China's negotiation for the resumption of GA TT contracting party status and forWTO accession that has been lasting for 15 years. Presently the bilateraltalks for China's WTO entry have been basically concluded, the multilateralnegotiation has entered the final stage and it won't be long before China becomes a member of the WTO.Trough efforts in the Ninth Five-year Plan period, China's all directional opening up pattern has taken shape coupled with rapid development of theopen economy. Looking into the coming five years, China's opening up, foreign trade and economic development will enter a new historic era. In the lightof the spirit of the Outline of the Tenth Five-year Plan for national economicand social development, we have the following major ideas on the development of China's foreign trade and economic cooperation.I. Accelerating the growth of an open economy and endeavoring to achievethe sustainable development of foreign economic and trade relations. By 2005, import and export nationwide should total US $ 680 billion whilestriking a general balance. The percentage of mechanic and electronic products will rise to 50% and that of hi-tech products will account for 20% of China's export. The annual absorption of foreign direct investment will keep ataround US $ 40 billion and efforts shall be made to increase the amount.The strategy of Going Global will have made substantial progress. On thebasis of the ninth Five-year Plan, foreign project-contracting, labor services cooperation, foreign aid and other foreign trade and economic activitiesshall make bigger strides and new headway.II. Pushing forward two fundamental transformations in foreign trade and economic cooperation so as to improve the international competitivenessof China in this field. During the Tenth Five-year Plan, we shall carryout in a better way the strategies of Winning by Quality, Market Diversification and Reinvigorating Trade by Science and Technology. At the same time, we shall transform the growth mode of foreign trade and economic cooperation. Unremitting efforts shall be made in restructuring China's foreign tradeand economic cooperation which include the constant improvement of the commodity mix of import and export, the structure of trade methods, regional distribution and market composition. Besides, we shall also increase thevalue-added rate of processing trade. Combining all these efforts, we can basically ensure that China's foreign trade and economic development has undergone fundamental change from mainly depending on the expansion of magnitude and quantitative increase to primarily depending on quality and efficiency.III. Seizing the opportunity of WTO accession to establish a new foreigntrade and economic cooperation system that is consistent with international norm and China's national conditions, by relying on the basis of legalregime and rules, making reform the driving force and development the objective, respecting the commitments China has made in international negotiations,and fully using the transitional period after China joins the World Trade Organization.IV. Implementing the open strategy of Going Global in real earnest. Weshall encourage overseas investment where China has comparative advantages so that we can participate in international competition and cooperationin a broader and deeper magnitude. Also we shall integrate the strategiesof " Bringing Home" and "Going Global" and make them complementary, which will enable us to make better use of both international and domestic marketplaces and resources to serve China's modernization drive.V. Basically setting up the promotion and protection systems concerningChina's foreign trade and economic cooperation development. The export refund mechanism will be reformed into a stable and standard one. It is imperative to improve the system of financial support for foreign tradeand economic cooperation which highlights export credit and export credit insurance and to integrate the export credit insurance with export financing.We shall basically set up a relatively complete foreign-related economiclegal system that complies with the WTO rules and China's national conditions.VI. Preliminarily wide application of international electronic commercein our foreign trade and economic cooperation. By substantiating and improving the Project of Golden Customs and establishing a sound on-line administrative system regarding foreign trade and economic cooperation, we can realize network-based administration, operation and information flow of foreigntrade and economic cooperation so that important progress can be made ine-commerce, e-information and e-administration.VII. Actively exploring new approaches of China's participation in regional economic cooperation while discussing and researching trade and investment liberalization and facilitation within certain region.This year is the first year of the Tenth Five-yearPlan. In the first two months of this year, China's importand export reached US$ 69.91 billion, up 16% from the sameperiod of the previous year. In a breakdown, export stoodat US$ 36.14 billion, up 14.5%; import was US$ 33.77 billion,rising 17.7% from the corresponding period. During the same period, China's contractual foreign investment was US$ andits paid-in capital reached US$ , which were % and % higherthan the corresponding period of the previous year respectively.We believe that through our efforts, this year China's foreign trade and economic cooperation shall continue growing at certain pace and mark agood beginning of the Tenth Five-year Plan.When looking into the future, China on the threshold of the new centurywill become more open. We are willing to further develop economic and trade ties with all countries in the world. It is our sincere belief that newdevelopment of China's national economy and foreign trade and economic cooperation will undoubtedly make greater contributions to the prosperity and stability of the world economy.。