China’s reform picks up speed in new era

BEIJING - About 40 years after China set sail on its voyage of reform and openingup, the journey is still at full speed and heading towards ever greater goals.

At the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress held in October last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of Central Military Commission, outlined new moves to deepen reform in all areas. In his report to the Party congress, Xi listed “continuing to comprehensively deepen reform” in the basic policy to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era. The report proposed 158 reform measures and clarified important reform areas and key sections, including the supply-side structural reform which gives priority to improving the quality of the supply system. During his first inspection tour to east China’s Jiangsu Province after the Party congress, Xi made important instructions on reforms of stateowned enterprises, economic restructuring in regions running out of natural resources, and rural vitalization.

In the following months, from southern Hainan Province, central Hubei Province to eastern Shandong Province, Xi has as always taken the lead in guiding deepening reform in all areas to make new advances. At its first meeting in mid November 2017, the leading group for deepening overall reform of the 19th CPC Central Committee, headed by Xi, set the principles of carrying out reforms and underscored systematic, unified and coordinated action in pushing forward those tasks. An action plan from 2018 to 2022 has been issued, elaborating on who, when and how to carry out the 158 reform measures. Xi has repeatedly voiced his resolve to continue reform. “China’s reform will cover more areas, and more and stronger steps will be taken in pursuing this endeavor,” Xi said at the AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, in November 2017. At the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in April, Xi called reform and opening-up “China’s second revolution” that had not only profoundly changed the country but greatly influenced the whole world.

“We should endeavor to advance structural reform, remove all institutional barriers to innovation and fully unlock innovation potential and energize the market,” Xi said on July 25 when addressing the BRICS Business Forum in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Xinhua)