G20 Hangzhou Summit preparations going smoothly

BEIJING, Feb. 16 -- Preparations for the G20 summit in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou are going smoothly, the senior official in charge of preparing for the event has said.

The summit will be held in Hangzhou on Sept. 4 and 5, after China took over the G20 presidency in December.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi said in a Q&A posted on the Foreign Ministry's website on Tuesday that China has set up a committee to coordinate preparatory work, and that agreement on the priorities for the summit was reached during the first Sherpa meeting, also known as coordinators' meeting in preparations for the summit.

Programs of events and arrangements for venues, facilities, logistics and security are also being fleshed out, Yang said.

China has proposed four key priorities under the theme of the summit, namely -- forging a new path for growth, "more effective and efficient global economic and financial governance", "robust international trade and investment", and "inclusive and interconnected development."

"These priorities are consistent with the needs of the world economy and the direction of China's development, and demonstrate the spirit of innovation," Yang said.

China hopes that the summit will reach consensus on innovation, structural reform, new industrial revolution and digital economy, according to the state councilor.

"We call for innovation in science and technology and, beyond that, in development concepts, institutions and mechanisms, and business models," he said.

In the months running up to the G20 summit, China will host Sherpa meetings in Guangzhou, Xiamen, Hangzhou and Wuhan, finance ministers' and central bank governors' meetings in Shanghai and Chengdu, and meetings of ministers covering trade, employment, energy and agriculture in Shanghai, Beijing and Xi'an.

China will also host supporting events such as the Business 20 (B20)Summit, the Labor 20 (L20) Meeting, the Youth 20 (Y20) Meeting, the Women 20 (W20) Meeting and the Think Tank 20 (T20) Meeting.

To make the summit more representative, China has invited Egypt, Khazakstan, Spain, Singapore, Laos and Senegal to take part in the full program of the summit as guest countries, Yang said.

"China will continue to follow the principles of openness, transparency and inclusiveness in the preparatory