On March 24, 2024, Premier Li Qiang of the State Council attended the opening ceremony of the China Development Forum 2024 in Beijing, and delivered a keynote speech.
Li Qiang said that the theme of this year's Forum, "The Continuous Development of China", is not only an objective description of China's economic development for a long time, but also fully reflects the attention and expectations of all sectors for the steady, sustained and high-quality development of China's economy. Over the past year, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China, by withstanding external pressures and overcoming internal difficulties, successfully accomplished its main targets and tasks for economic and social development in 2023. The economy has continued to consolidate and strengthen its upward trend, and new industries, new models and new driving forces are growing rapidly and becoming stronger. China's economy has strong resilience, great potential and enough vitality, while the fundamentals of its long-term sound growth remain unchanged.
Li Qiang pointed out that enterprises are participants, contributors, witnesses and beneficiaries of the sustained development of China's economy. The Chinese side has always regarded respect for the market and services for enterprises as an important foothold in planning economic work and an important focus for implementing economic policies, and has always been an advocate and a good companion on the development and growth path of enterprises. In particular, since last year, the Chinese side has further improved and optimized services and established a regular communication and exchange mechanism with enterprises, earnestly responded to and addressed the concerns of enterprises, and actively built institutional mechanisms that better integrate effective markets with proactive governments. He expressed confidence that the mutual trust and two-way efforts between the government and enterprises will definitely converge into a strong synergy of working together for development and win-win outcomes.
Li Qiang noted that the international situation is now undergoing profound changes, and the world economic development is facing many severe challenges. China will take practical and effective actions to promote high-quality development and inject more certainty and positive energy into the recovery and stable development of the world economy. He said the Chinese side will intensify macro-policy adjustments and strengthen policy coordination and cooperation to ensure concerted efforts and form a synergy. The Chinese side will focus on expanding domestic demand, further promote the building of a unified national market, vigorously promote a new type of people-centered urbanization, and advance large-scale equipment renewal and trade-ins of durable consumer goods. The Chinese side will speed up the establishment of a modern industrial system, adhere to advancing industrial innovation through scientific and technological innovation, promote the upgrading of traditional industries, the growth of emerging industries and the cultivation of future industries in a coordinated manner, and accelerate the development of new quality productive forces. The Chinese side will continue to promote green transformation, and stay firmly committed to the path that prioritizes eco-environmental conservation and green development. The Chinese side will properly address both symptoms and root causes of challenges to prevent and defuse various risks and hidden dangers, and promote the long-term, continuous and sound development of China's economy.
Li Qiang said that China's economy has been deeply integrated with the world economy today. He said that the Chinese side will continue to foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based and internationalized, further deepen reforms in key areas and crucial links, focus on improving the efficiency of government services, protect the legitimate rights and interests of all types of enterprises in accordance with the law, steadily advance institutional opening up, and continuously connect with the world at a higher level of openness. A more open China will surely bring more opportunities for win-win cooperation to the world. The Chinese side is willing to share with the world the great opportunities of China's sustained development and work with all parties to create a bright future of common development.
Wu Zhenglong attended the opening ceremony.
This year's Forum is hosted by the Development Research Centre of the State Council. Nearly 400 people, including President of the World Bank Group Ajay Banga, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva, as well as domestic and foreign experts and scholars, entrepreneurs, government officials and representatives from international organizations, attended the opening ceremony.