General

New Trends in International Trade! The new era and new journey to promote high-level opening up are of great significance and far-reaching significance. This year's government work report states, "Actively promote accession to high standard economic and trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP), actively compare relevant rules, regulations, management, and standards, and steadily expand institutional openness.".

Zhang Liqun, a researcher at the Macroeconomic Research Department of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said that institutional openness is an important aspect of high-level opening-up. Steady progress has been made in promoting institutional openness such as rules, regulations, management, and standards, in line with new situations and changes in international and domestic development, and in guiding China's reform and opening up to form a better positive interaction relationship. That is, promoting the construction of a unified domestic market, closely integrating and interacting with steady progress in institutional openness, constantly forming a unified market with a higher degree of integration, and making better and fuller use of both domestic and international resources. Strongly support high-quality development and continuously improve people's wellbeing.

Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University of China, said that at present, the global game of rules and standards is becoming increasingly fierce, with the initial technological competition among countries eventually falling into the competition of standards and rules, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence, internet big data, and cross-border e-commerce. To achieve the transformation from a world factory to a world market, China needs to master and continuously improve its institutional discourse.

CPTPP is a multilateral economic integration treaty, an agreement between countries in the Asia Pacific region that allows member countries to trade at low tariffs to strengthen and promote resource flows and international trade and economic partnerships.

It is understood that the CPTPP currently covers 11 member countries, covering about 500 million people, with a total GDP of over 13.5 trillion US dollars, accounting for about 13% of the global economy.

In September 2021, China officially applied to join the CPTPP. Wang Shouwen, International Trade Negotiator and Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, recently revealed that China has conducted extensive contacts and exchanges with members of the CPTPP at different levels. In the future, domestic free trade pilot zones will deepen reforms in relevant fields in accordance with the high standards of the CPTPP.

Chen Xiangyang, a researcher at the China Academy of Modern International Relations and director of the Center for Overall National Security Studies, said that actively promoting China's accession to the CPTPP reflects China's sincerity and confidence in opening up, that is, not only to demand oneself, enhance oneself, and force reform with high standards of international trade and economic agreements, but also to promote regional economic cooperation and promote the healthy and sustainable development of economic globalization through open development and win-win cooperation, The image of a responsible big country that has opened up to the outside world is highlighted, in sharp contrast to individual developed countries that have politicized economic cooperation and formed "small circles".

"Implementing high standards of international economic and trade rules is the basic goal of institutional opening up, and actively connecting with high standards of international economic and trade rules is an important practice for China to expand institutional opening up. CPTPP is currently one of the highest standards of international economic and trade rules in the world. Actively connecting with these high standards of economic and trade rules is conducive to further improving the rules and standards of free trade zones in China, creating a higher level of openness, better business environment, and stronger radiation effect." "A new highland of openness." Ni Yueju, a researcher at the World Economic and Political Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the International Business Daily.

Ni Yueju suggested that, on the one hand, China should give full play to the pioneering role of open highlands such as free trade pilot zones and free trade ports, and form a batch of replicable and promotable experiences in rule docking, rule innovation, and rule opening; On the other hand, it is necessary to actively participate in international rulemaking, enhance China's voice in the transformation of the global governance system, and promote the formation of a fair, reasonable, and transparent international rule system.