General

What is the development trend of service trade? What is the trend of China US economic and trade relations? What is the development trend of China's service trade in the first four months of this year? What are the recent achievements of trade communication between China and the United States and the trend of economic and trade relations? The Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference on the 1st to respond to recent economic and trade hotspots.

The total import and export of services in China increased by 9.1% year-on-year in the first four months

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, Shu Jueting, introduced at the press conference that from January to April this year, China's service trade maintained an overall growth trend. The total import and export volume of services reached 2081.65 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%. Among them, exports amounted to 887.13 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 4.9%; Import of 1194.52 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 22.6%; The service trade deficit is 307.39 billion yuan.

The main characteristic is the increase in the proportion of knowledge intensive service trade. From January to April, the import and export of knowledge intensive services reached 905.79 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.1%, accounting for 43.5% of the total import and export of services, an increase of 1.5 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Among them, the export of knowledge intensive services reached 538.48 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18%; The fastest-growing area is insurance services, with a growth rate of 260.5%. The import of knowledge intensive services reached 367.31 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%; The fastest growing areas are personal culture and entertainment services, as well as other commercial services, with year-on-year growth of 54% and 26.2% respectively.

In addition, travel services have significantly resumed. From January to April, the import and export of travel services reached 444.19 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 63.4%. Among them, exports increased by 48.5% year-on-year, while imports increased by 64.5% year-on-year.

Both China and the United States agree to continue and strengthen exchanges

Recently, Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao held talks with U.S. Minister of Commerce Remondo and U.S. Trade Representative Dai Qi respectively during his visit to the United States to attend the APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting. The communication achievements and economic and trade trends between China and the United States have attracted much attention.

Shu Jueting introduced that both sides believe that the trade and economic relations between China and the United States are very important. They exchanged views on their respective economic and trade issues of concern and explored possible areas of cooperation. Both sides agree to continue and strengthen exchanges. I hope that the United States will work together with China, guided by the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, to manage differences, jointly maintain and deepen practical trade cooperation between China and the United States, benefit the two countries and their peoples, and promote world economic development.

A reporter asked at the scene, what are the key points of the talks between the two sides regarding trade, especially semiconductor policies? In response, Shu Jueting said that the US Semiconductor industry policies and export controls such as the Chip and Science Act are important economic and trade concerns of China, and also key issues raised in the talks between China and the US. Both sides had in-depth exchanges on this matter and agreed to continue discussions in the future.

Positive overall progress in promoting digital trade cooperation

Shu Jueting also introduced that Wang Wentao, together with representatives of Chile, New Zealand, Singapore and other member countries, attended the ministerial meeting between China and members of the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) during his participation in the APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting in Detroit, the United States.

Wang Wentao said at the above meeting that since the establishment of the DEPA Working Group, China has carried out a lot of fruitful work together with members, and the overall progress is positive. At present, multiple regions in China are actively docking with DEPA and exploring cooperation in various fields with member countries. Some projects have made positive progress. China looks forward to strengthening practical cooperation with member countries while advancing accession negotiations, and promoting the early implementation of more projects.

The members of DEPA gave positive evaluations of China's progress in joining the working group and expressed their willingness to work with China to comprehensively promote consultations at all levels, deepen cooperation related to the digital economy, explore more cooperation opportunities, and continuously achieve positive results.

The preparatory work for the 9th Shanghai International Fair is progressing smoothly

The 9th China (Shanghai) International Technology Import and Export Fair will be held in Shanghai from June 15th to 17th, with the theme of "opening up the global chain and empowering the future with technology". Shu Jueting introduced that the preparation work is currently progressing smoothly. This year's Shanghai Fair will present the following characteristics:

More optimized exhibition area settings. More emphasis will be given to digital and green development, and five exhibition areas will be set up, including the Theme Building, energy low-carbon technology, digital technology, biomedicine, innovative ecology and services, with an exhibition area of 35000 square meters; The "the Belt and Road" technical cooperation zone was added to gather the achievements of the "the Belt and Road" technological innovation cooperation among provinces, autonomous regions and cities. At that time, nearly a thousand domestic and foreign enterprises will participate in the exhibition.

The exhibition content is more diverse. The "Technology Trade Summit Forum" will be held to release the "National Technology Trade Innovation Practice Cases", showcasing the practical achievements of Chinese enterprises and trading partners in international cooperation, innovation and entrepreneurship, and technology poverty alleviation. During the exhibition, nearly 30 supporting activities will be organized, including the VIP city (province), theme day, characteristic forum, industry conference, and promotion and docking meeting.

Professional services are more comprehensive. The innovation ecology and service exhibition area will be expanded and upgraded, and the exhibition site will provide one-stop services such as technology achievement transformation, intellectual property protection and application, investment and financing, law, talent, etc. Relevant units will also initiate the establishment of the "Technology Trade Promotion Service Alliance" to strengthen industry ecological agglomeration and industry chain docking, and improve the effectiveness of exhibition project transactions.

The China (Shanghai) International Technology Import and Export Fair is co sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the Shanghai Municipal Government. Since 2013, the Shanghai Fair has been successfully held for eight sessions, becoming an important platform for showcasing advanced technology, linking innovative resources, and deepening international exchange and cooperation in the field of technology trade. (Transferred from: Xinhua News Agency)