When answering media questions at a press conference on the development of China's trade in services and the progress of preparations for the 2023 CIFTIS, which was held by the State Council Information Office, P.R.C. (SCIO) on August 21, assistant minister of commerce Chen Chunjiang gave information on two heavyweight events to be held during the 2023 CIFTIS - "Invest in China Year" and the signing ceremony for the Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships.
More than 20 major events on "Invest in China Year", an investment promotion brand innovatively designed and created by the Ministry of Commerce in 2023, will take place throughout the year, said Chen Chunjiang. The Promotion Conference on Further Opening up the Service Sector will be convened during the 2023 CIFTIS to publicize China's policy regarding the further opening-up of the service sector, issue authoritative reports and promote innovation cases. Eleven provinces and cities for the national integrated pilot and demonstration project of the further opening-up of the service sector will be invited to talk about development advantages, business environment and cooperation opportunities of the local services sector. The aim is to attract more multinational companies to invest and develop in China and provide new opportunities for the world through China's new development.
The national comprehensive pilot demonstration program for further opening up the service sector is a key measure taken by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to promote opening-up to the outside world at a high level. Six rounds of the project have been carried out in the past eight years, introducing more than 1,100 pilot policies and measures in 13 industry sectors such as technology, finance and culture. The implementation scope has been extended to the Beijing Demonstration Zone, four pilot provinces and municipalities: Tianjin, Shanghai, Hainan, and Chongqing, as well as six pilot cities: Shenyang, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Chengdu, covering areas with high development level in China's services sector and great potential for investment and cooperation in Sino-foreign service sectors. Eleven pilot demonstration provinces and cities will organize delegates to participate in the promotion conference for achievements display, investment promotion and business talks.
The Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships is an important multilateral convention. It took four years for the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) to study and draft the Convention, which was passed by the United Nations General Assembly. The main purpose of this Convention is to address issues regarding cross-border recognition of judicial sales of ships, ensuring that the ownership of ships obtained by the buyer through judicial sales is recognized by other contracting countries. The signing of the Convention will be conducive to protecting the enthusiasm of financial institutions for ship financing and promoting further prosperity of international shipping and trade. With Beijing in its name, the Convention is the first United Nations convention in the maritime industry that is named after a Chinese city. This reflects the high recognition by all countries of China's leading role in the formation of the Convention, and is also an authentic depiction of China's practice of real multilateralism. Authorized by the United Nations General Assembly and determined through a joint discussion at the United Nations, the signing ceremony of the Convention will be held on September 5 during the 2023 CIFTIS.
(Source: CIFTIS News)