Xi stresses establishing new systems for higher-level open economy

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday presided over the second meeting of the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform (CCCDR). A series of documents were examined and approved at the meeting. They include Opinions on Establishing New Systems for a Higher-level Open Economy to Build a New Development Paradigm, Implementation Plans on Deepening Rural Reform, Opinions on Promoting the Gradual Transition from Control of Total Amount and Intensity of Energy Consumption to Control of Total Amount and Intensity of Carbon Emissions, Opinions on Pilot Reform of Remuneration System in Higher Education Institutions and Research Institutes, Opinions on Deepening Reform of the Oil and Gas Market System and Strengthening the Capacity for National Oil and Gas Security, and Guiding Opinions on Deepening Power System Reform and Accelerating the Building of a New Power Industry.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Central Military Commission, and director of the CCCDR, stressed that establishing new systems for a higher-level open economy is a strategic measure to promote reform and development through opening up. Centering around fostering a new development pattern, institutional opening up should be the focus when it comes to further reform of systems and mechanisms in such key areas for international exchange and opening up as investment, trade, finance, and innovation, so as to improve supporting policies and measures, and proactively elevate the country's opening up to a higher level. With the strategic goal of realizing agricultural and rural modernization as well as building strong agriculture as the linchpin, the country should well manage the relationship between farmers and land, and speed up efforts to bolster the weak links in agricultural and rural development to lay a solid foundation for comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Since the country's building of an ecological civilization has entered a critical period with carbon reduction as a key strategic task, it is imperative to improve the control of total energy consumption and intensity, so as to gradually shift to a system for controlling both the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions. It is important to advance the reform of remuneration system for university teachers and research personnel as a pivot for boosting the development of education, science and technology, and talent. Such reformed remuneration system should invigorate innovation, orient education to knowledge value, feature standardized and effective management, and give equal weight to basics and incentives, so as to further spur the innovativeness and creativity of higher education institutions as well as research institutes. It is essential to focus on boosting the capacity to ensure oil and gas security and target prominent problems when promoting the reform of the upstream, midstream and downstream systems and mechanisms in the oil and gas industry, in a bid to ensure a stable and safe oil and gas supply. Besides, it is imperative to deepen electric power system reform by accelerating the building of a power industry that is clean, low-carbon, safe and providing abundant supply, economical and efficient, well-coordinated between supply and demand, and flexible and intelligent, so as to better promote the revolution in China's energy production and consumption, ensuring national energy security.

Li Qiang, Wang Huning and Cai Qi, members of the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau and deputy directors of the CCCDR, attended the meeting.

It was pointed out at the meeting that China's development is facing a complex and severe international situation. We should improve the top-level design of new systems for an open economy, deepen the reform of the system and mechanism in the field of trade and investment, expand market access, comprehensively optimize the business environment, improve the service guarantee system, give full play to China's comprehensive strengths, and attract global resources with the flow of domestic economy, so as to improve the quality and level of trade and investment cooperation. We must be prepared to deal with worst-case and extreme-case scenarios to promptly improve national security systems and mechanisms, and strive to promote the capacity and level of supervision and management over and of opening up. It is imperative to dovetail the building of new systems for a higher-level open economy with national strategies such as high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, actively participating in the reform and development of the global governance system.

It was emphasized at the meeting that to implement the arrangements of the 20th CPC National Congress for deepening rural reform, work must be done to consolidate and improve the basic system for rural operations, optimize the food security system, refine the system for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization, better the policies for integrated urban-rural development, and accelerate reform in important areas and key links for breakthroughs and effective results, letting the farmers have a stronger sense of fulfillment in the reform. It is necessary to combine top-level policy design with grassroots exploration, and allow and encourage different regions to explore according to local conditions. We should grow adept at discovering and summarizing grassroots practice and innovation, and give timely support to those having difficulties in exploration and innovation.

It was noted at the meeting that since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have given high priority to green and low-carbon development, energy conservation and emissions reduction, and established and implemented the system for controlling both the total amount and intensity of energy consumption. As a result, our country's energy consumption efficiency has greatly increased while the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions has considerably decreased. To transit from controlling the total amount and intensity of energy consumption to controlling those of carbon emissions, it's imperative to stick to the principle of building the new before discarding the old, refine the system for controlling the intensity and total amount of energy consumption, optimize and improve the methods of doing so, strengthen the basic capacity of controlling the intensity and total amount of carbon emissions, and improve all the relevant mechanisms in this regard, so as to create favorable conditions for establishing and implementing the system for controlling both the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions. We must remain committed to prioritizing resource conservation and do a good job in this regard at a higher level with higher quality, so as to get maximum returns at minimum cost. It is imperative to do our work in a stable manner, coordinate the relationship between development and emissions reduction, be realistic, do everything within our capacity and soundly adjust and improve the policies and measures.

It was stressed at the meeting that the pilot reform of remuneration system should be launched in higher education institutions and research institutes with the aim to improve and regulate the distribution system according to the need and reality of salary management. The income distribution policy should be talent-oriented, performance-based with the focus on innovation. Salary distribution should be favorable to the teachers and researchers who have made a significant contribution to urgent and arduous tasks, to the personnel who are engaged in teaching and research of basic disciplines and those who have made great breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields. Efforts should also be made to strengthen the supervision over salary management, so as to ensure that the national fund will be channeled to motivating the talented people and to the development of undertakings in need.

It was noted at the meeting that further efforts should be made to deepen the reform of oil and gas market system and strengthen the systems for energy production, supply, storage, and marketing. It is important to intensify market supervision and regulation, strengthen subsector and cross-sector oversight. It is imperative to standardize the oil and gas market in order to promote fair competition. It is essential to further the reform of the oil and gas reserve system so that it can play a better role in dealing with emergencies and necessary adjustment.

It was stressed at the meeting that we should build a new electric power industry in a professional and science-based manner, gradually reduce the proportion of traditional energy resources in the overall energy mix in a well-planned and phased way when new energy is safe and reliable as an alternative. It is imperative to improve the systems and mechanisms which can adapt to the new electric power industry and strengthen innovation in power technologies, market mechanisms, and business models. It is essential to promote better links between an efficient market and a well-functioning government, and continue to improve policies in order to secure the supply of basic public power services.

Members of the CCCDR were present. Leading officials of relevant central Party and government departments sat in on the meeting.