China to ramp up efforts in reform and opening-up

China is calling for more intensified efforts to deepen reform and opening-up to spur economic transformation, and will contribute Chinese wisdom to reshape forces driving the global economy, top officials said on Wednesday.

"China will remain committed to deepening reform and expanding opening-up and make all-round efforts for economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological advancement," said Zhang Laiming, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council.

"In the run-up to a new era for China, (the question of) what key reforms will be introduced in 2018 has drawn global attention," Zhang said.

He made the remarks at a news conference for the China Development Forum 2018, which will be held in Beijing from Saturday through Monday.

Themed "China in the New Era", this year's forum will focus on key topics including high-quality development, fiscal and tax system reform, supply-side structural reform and financial policies.

It will also cover heated topics such as China-US relations in the new era, the Belt and Road Initiative, artificial intelligence and block chain.

The forum marks the first major State-level international conference held since the conclusion of the annual two sessions.

"This year's forum will have discussions on reform and opening-up as 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of the launch of China's reform and opening-up policy," said Lu Mai, deputy head of China Development Research Foundation.

Lu said that the global economy has begun to gradually recover but uncertainties from geopolitics and economic issues still loom all over the world.

"Against this backdrop, it is of wide concern how China will communicate, coordinate and cooperate with other countries to promote the building of a community with a shared future for mankind," Lu added.

According to Lu, this year's forum has attracted more than 120 foreign representatives from leading global businesses, international organizations and scholars, including Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc.