Chinese vice premier urges efforts to build reform, opening up highland in inland areas

CHANGSHA, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng has urged efforts to unswervingly expand high-standard opening up and continue to vigorously build a highland for reform and opening up in inland regions.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks on Friday during an inspection trip to Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province.

He visited the Changsha area of the China (Hunan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Changsha Airport Economic Demonstration Zone, and the Changsha Huanghua Comprehensive Bonded Zone.

The vice premier said Hunan should give full play to its own advantages, steadily expand institutional opening up, deeply integrate into the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and enhance the new advantages in international economic cooperation and competition.

Efforts should be made to utilize the opening up of platforms to deepen reform and innovation, attract more enterprises with high-tech and high-added-value products, promote new business forms and models, including cross-border e-commerce, and drive regional development, he said.

He called for continuously facilitating cross-border trade, expanding access to emerging markets, better serving foreign investors, and stabilizing the scale of foreign investment utilization.

He also urged making full use of the financing coordination mechanism for the real estate sector to ensure that sold but unfinished commercial housing is completed and delivered on time and with guaranteed quality.