Fujian FTZ staff inspired by Xi's visit, pledge efforts for high-level opening up

Staff at the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) said an inspection visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping has inspired them to work harder to open up China's economy.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, visited the Pilot FTZ in Xiamen during his inspection tour of east China's Fujian Province on Wednesday.

He visited an exhibition showcasing the area's development and learned about local efforts to expand reforms and explore paths for integrated development across the Taiwan Strait, and met with staff from the FTZ.

"The General Secretary's visit has energized and encouraged the staff at the Xiamen Area of China (Fujian) Pilot FTZ," said He Dongning, director of the management committee of the FTZ.

"We were working when General Secretary Xi came in, and we immediately stood up and applauded warmly. We were very excited," said Wu Yuhong, who works for the market supervision bureau in the Pilot FTZ.

"All of us were very excited and felt very honored," said Liang Ruolin from the Pilot FTZ's tax bureau.

Over the last 40 years, the Xiamen Special Economic Zone has experienced tremendous changes that were once unimaginable, Xi said during his visit.

The requirements for reform and opening up, both in depth and breadth, are higher today than ever before, he said. Fujian and Xiamen need to adapt to the changing situation, steadily advance institutional opening up, align with international high standards, and achieve more institutional and policy outcomes to contribute to the expansion of high-level opening up, Xi said.

Encouraged by Xi's visit and expectations, staffers vowed to build a high-level pilot FTZ and pioneer the exploration and test of the path to realize socialist modernization.

"Today I reported to General Secretary Xi on the development history and achievements of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone, especially its efforts in promoting opening up and comprehensive reform. The pilot FTZ in Xiamen is one of the three parts of the Fujian Pilot FTZ. Officially established on April 21, 2015, the 43.78 square kilometer area has two zones: Huli and Haicang. Over the past nine years, we have also conducted some institutional innovation exploration and experimentation. Among the 167 institutional innovation results that have been promoted nationwide, more than 30 are from the Xiamen area. In addition, we also have five cases that have won the title of 'most exemplary reform case' in FTZs across China. It is the result of institutional innovation," said He.

"The General Secretary learned in detail about the history of the Customs Comprehensive Service Hall, and inspected the document issuance, customs clearance, tax collection, tax reduction (refund), and other services. Currently, our Xiamen Customs is responsible for supervising and serving 127 foreign trade routes from Xiamen Port, covering 49 countries and 149 ports. General Secretary Xi encouraged us to guard the country's border well, promote development, and act as the guardian of the country's border that reassures the Party and satisfies the people," said Zhu Guangyao, commissioner of Xiamen Customs.

"What impressed me most was that the General Secretary specifically talked about those days when he worked in Xiamen. When he was in Xiamen, he paid special attention to the construction of the free trade zone and the special economic zone. In our maritime sector, we must build awareness of reform and innovation, continue to perfect our business environment, to attract international shipping companies to our jurisdiction," said Wang Lei, a staff member of Xiamen Marine Safety Administration.

"The visit of the General Secretary is an encouragement to us. We will keep the General Secretary's instructions in mind and work harder, to make our contributions as market supervisors in creating a first-class business environment," said Wu.

"Next, we will definitely follow the requirements of the General Secretary, take high-level opening up as the guide, and institutional innovation as the core, and strive to build a higher-level pilot free trade zone. With these efforts, Xiamen will take the lead in exploring the path toward socialist modernization," said He.

Fujian FTZ staff inspired by Xi's visit, pledge efforts for high-level opening up

Chinese industrial enterprises are actively expanding production as new engineering projects surged in September, reaching a record high this year.

Data released by the State Taxation Administration on Sunday showed that sales revenues of industrial manufacturers grew by 3.6 percent year on year in the first three quarters, indicating a steady growth in industrial production during this period.

In September, 50.76 percent of construction machinery nationwide was in operation, up 0.75 percent from August, suggesting an acceleration in construction activity across the country. Among them, lifting and digging equipment were the most frequently used.

"There are many large new or expansion projects now underway in the country, and the speed of construction is increasing," said Shen Chunfeng, an expert in engineering machinery index data at ROOTCloud, an industrial internet platform solution provider.

The northeast region is currently leading the country in engineering construction activities. In Harbin, the capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, construction is in full swing at new project sites.

"Nearly 300 workers are working simultaneously at the construction site even overtime to speed up the external wall insulation project for the research buildings No. 1 and No. 2," said Meng Xiangxin, technical director of a municipal engineering company in Harbin.

By the end of September, nearly 96.5 percent of the 1,500 key projects in Heilongjiang had begun construction, 4.5 percentage points higher than the same time last year, covering infrastructure projects in areas like water conservation, road upgrades, and underground piping systems.

Meanwhile, the number of projects awarded through successful bidding is rapidly increasing, with business expansion projects up 5.8 percent year on year in the third quarter. In September, the growth rate of awarded contracts reached 28.4 percent, which is the highest this year, indicating a significant pickup in enterprise expansion activity.

"This shows that industrial enterprises are optimistic about future market demand. Their business confidence and expectations are boosted, which drives a steady increase in investment and expansion activities. As a range of new policies continues to take effect, companies' expectations for future market demand are expected to improve, further encouraging them to expand and enhance their operational vitality," said Yang Daoling, an official of the Department of Big Data Development, State Information Center.

Chinese industrial enterprises expand with increasing construction projects