Opening up to the Dutch
Shanghai scholars shared their insights into the opportunities arising from China's new round of reform and opening-up during a seminar in Leiden of the Netherlands.
The seminar, "Influence of CIIE and China's New Round of Opening-up," brought representatives from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences (SASS) to the Leiden University in the city about 30 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam.
Wang Yumei, deputy Party secretary of SASS, took part and delivered a speech. Professor Philippe Peycam, director of the university's International Institute for Asian Studies, also attended the seminar.
In keynote speeches, seven SASS experts sketched out China’s new strategy of openness, and shed light on the relations between Belt and Road Initiative and China's opening-up strategy, optimizing business environment, enhancing international competitiveness of industries, and what it means to a country steeped in commercial tradition like Holland.
The seminar also saw scholars and reporters from both sides exchange views on the upcoming second China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.
"Hosting the CIIE represents a solid step by China to open its market to the wider world on its own accord," said Wang. "The CIIE makes it possible for countries in the world to share in the fruits of China’s development, expand areas of cooperation, push for an open world economy and achieve the goal of common development."
Altogether 172 countries, regions and international organizations sent delegations to the inaugural CIIE last year, with more than 3,600 companies setting up booths and US$57.8 billion worth of tentative deals signed, according to statistics provided by SASS.
As part of the efforts to forge deeper links with academic institutes in the Netherlands, one of China's key trading partners within the European Union, the visit by Chinese scholars also featured wide-reaching discussions on topics including the Belt and Road initiative, technology innovation in Shanghai and broader collaboration between China and Europe.
As Shanghai builds itself into a global financial center, its efforts to cut red tape, remove barriers to market entry and create a business-friendly environment have earned it recognition by organizations like the World Bank.
Last year, the city's steps to make it easier to do business gave China a leg up as the country advanced 32 spots to rank 46th in the World Bank’s 2019 Doing Business report, an annual ranking of different economies on business regulations and the ease of doing business.
In her speech on the evolving business environment and elevation of Shanghai's global industrial competency, Tang Yunyi, a research fellow at SASS, said Shanghai should take advantage of its role to further liberalize the policy framework and encourage entrepreneurship.
"Shanghai should set an example in areas like ensuring fair market access, enhancing convenience of public service, improving ease of administrative approval, bolstering legitimacy of management and lifting the city’s global profile," said Tang.
She said Shanghai should consolidate its position as a vanguard of international exchanges and serve as an exemplar for the nation.
The seminar in Leiden is the first stop in the series events entitled "Development and Consensus: Publishing Platform for Shanghai Academic Research Results," which is aimed at promoting Shanghai overseas.
