11th China Inbound-Outbound Forum
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The China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2024 was held from 12 to 16 September at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC). During this period, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) and the Beijing ‘Two Zones’ co-hosted the Beijing ‘Two Zones’ Development and China Inbound-Outbound Forum (11th China Inbound-Outbound Forum) on Saturday, 14 September.
Focusing on the theme of ‘Digital Innovation and Win-Win Service’, the forum discussed major issues such as the foreign investment environment and systematic opening up, institutional innovation in the construction of Beijing ‘Two Zones’, the economic development and investment strategies, the trend of scientific and technological innovation and the green transformation of enterprises under the dual-carbon policy. CCG’s latest publication The Challenge of “Going Out” edited by Dr. Henry Huiyao Wang, President of CCG, and Dr. Mabel Lu Miao, Secretary-General of CCG, was also released during the forum.
The opening session was presented by Mike Liu, Vice President and Senior Fellow of CCG. PIAO Xuedong, Director-General, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, Deputy Director-General of Beijing Municipal Leading Group Office for “Two Zones”, delivered the opening remarks for the forum. Keynote speeches were given by H.E. JIANG Yaoping, Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Commerce and Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; H.E. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China; H.E. ZHAO Zhongxiu, President, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE); WANG Huiyao, President of CCG and Former Counselor to China State Council.
PIAO Xuedong, Director-General, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau,Deputy Director-General of Beijing Municipal Leading Group Office for “Two Zones”, stated in his speech that the global economic landscape is undergoing profound changes, and China’s development is also facing new opportunities and challenges. In the face of the complex and volatile international and domestic situation, as well as the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, China is more determined to promote deep-level reforms and high-level opening up. He pointed out that in recent years, Beijing has leveraged the construction of the “Two Zones” to actively explore higher-level and more advanced institutional opening-up paths. This forum on the construction of Beijing’s “Two Zones” and enterprise globalization aims to bring together elites from various fields to share new trends, opportunities, and paths for global development. He looks forward to the attending experts sharing their valuable insights and speaking freely to provide wisdom and strength for advancing the high-level opening up of Beijing’s “Two Zones” and the globalization of enterprises.
H.E. JIANG Yaoping, Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Commerce and Former Vice Minister, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, shared his insights on how to lead through innovation and jointly promote high-quality development of service trade. He noted that overall, China’s service trade has steadily expanded in scale, continuously optimized its structure, and improved its international competitiveness. At present, China’s service trade is at a critical opportunity period for innovation-driven development. Under the new circumstances, it is necessary to drive development through innovation, further promoting growth in scale, optimization of structure, improvement of efficiency, and strengthening of capabilities in service trade. He called on all parties to work together, guided by innovation, to advance high-quality development of service trade, build a more open, inclusive, beneficial, and win-win service trade system, and inject strong momentum into global economic growth.
H.E. Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator in China, emphasized that service trade holds immense potential to drive economic growth, create job opportunities, and promote sustainable development. He pointed out that three goals in the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development relate to international trade. As a major global trading nation, China’s growing exports of technology and services, along with its ability to sign free trade agreements with multiple countries, not only contribute to its own development but also have a positive impact on the global economy. The United Nations will work closely with China to continue advocating for and promoting sustainable development, fostering collaboration among stakeholders in areas such as environmental protection and sustainable services, and striving to build an inclusive and sustainable future.
H.E. ZHAO Zhongxiu, President, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), discussed the role and position of China and Global South in building a more inclusive global value chain, from the perspective of the Global South’s participation in trade rules, investment, and integration into global value chains. He suggested that for China to establish a new, higher level of openness, several steps are needed: First, deepen reform, opening-up, and internationalization to leverage both domestic and international markets and resources; second, encourage an inclusive economic growth model and a competitive mechanism with broad participation; third, strengthen infrastructure development, including the improvement of transportation networks; fourth, join and benefit from global value chains to enhance the international competitiveness of domestic enterprises; and finally, combine practical experience in areas such as cross-border e-commerce and digital trade to promote international development cooperation.
WANG Huiyao, President of CCG and Former Counselor to China State Council, emphasized that service trade has now become a new engine driving economic growth. He pointed out that over the past decade, the global average annual growth rate of service exports has continued to rise, approximately twice the growth rate of goods exports, with the share of service trade in the total of goods and services trade increasing to one-quarter. He noted that China has demonstrated strong momentum in sectors such as tourism service trade, digital service trade, and green service trade, and emphasized the need for further innovation in narratives and models going forward. He expressed hope that the guests in attendance would engage in active discussions and share valuable insights, and he believed that this forum would garner wide attention and achieve significant outcomes.
During the forum, one book launch, one policy dialogue, and three roundtable discussions were held. WANG Huiyao, President of CCG and Former Counselor to China State Council, launched CCG’s latest English publication, The Challenge of “Going Out”. This book is published by the renowned international publisher Springer Nature, is now available worldwide. In an attempt to make sense of the complex process of adaptation that Chinese enterprises must go through in the course of “going out”, this book provides a multidimensional analysis of the driving forces, legal and systemic hurdles, as well as the risks and opportunities that Chinese enterprises must consider as they seek greater fortunes beyond their own borders. Also included are the insightful views of experts, scholars and entrepreneurs with a wealth of experience in transnational investment in areas related to the globalization of Chinese enterprises. This book will help readers better understand the current state of Chinese enterprises expanding globally, but even more importantly, it will provide valuable information for individual enterprises looking to “go out”, helping them clarify their investment strategies, make the most of opportunities, manage challenges and take their business to the next level.
During the launch session, CCG President WANG Huiyao emphasized the significant importance of the publication The Challenge of “Going Out”. The book outlines the current state of Chinese enterprises’ overseas operations and trends in outbound investment, covering key challenges, business strategies, and ultimate goals, as well as practical experiences of investing abroad, particularly in countries along the Belt and Road Initiative. He noted that despite the increasingly complex and volatile international environment and intensified global market competition, Chinese companies continue to invest abroad, demonstrating their strong commitment to “going out.” CCG has conducted long-term research on the globalization of Chinese enterprises, focusing on the challenges they face and the strategies they employ, and has accumulated extensive research in this area. He expressed his hope that this English publication would help Chinese companies develop more effective international strategies and achieve sustainable growth overseas.
The subsequent policy dialogue, themed “Pathways to Global Trade Facilitation and Innovative Practices in Beijing ‘Two Zones’,” was moderated by WANG Huiyao, President of CCG and Former Counselor to China State Council. The robust development of service trade is a key element in Beijing’s journey to becoming a global city. The discussion on how to enhance Beijing’s international competitiveness through the opening up and innovation of the service sector, and further strengthen its position as a global trade hub, holds great significance.
At the start of the dialogue, GUO Wenjie, Deputy Director General, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, delivered a report on the development and progress of Beijing’s “Two Zones” initiative. During the presentation, he provided a detailed overview of Beijing’s efforts in implementing open innovation policies, creating a high-quality service environment for foreign enterprises, and building a convenient and livable talent ecosystem.
Massimo Bagnasco, Vice President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC)
GUO Wenjie, Deputy Director General, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau
JIN Xu, Chairman, The China Association of International Trade (CAIT)
LIU Chijin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Pan-Pacific Group
Loh Wee Keng, President, MayCham China
TU Xinquan, Dean of China Institute for WTO Studies, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE); Chair Holder, WTO Chairs Programme
The climate roundtable focused on the theme “Uncovering the Hydrogen Industry: A Renewable Energy Sector Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality in China,” and was moderated by Victor Gao, Vice President of CCG. As one of the most important and urgent crises facing the global community, climate change requires the collective participation of all countries and regions. In this context, the roundtable aimed to explore how to better promote the development of the renewable energy industry, facilitate the development, coordination, and cooperation of industries such as renewable energy, green hydrogen, and hydrogen-based green fuels, and ensure the maximization of the industry’s climate benefits to support the achievement of global and China’s climate change response goals.
FENG Xiangzhao, Research Fellow, China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID)
Tina Liang, Secretary-General, China Renewable Energy Society (CRES)
MI Wanliang, Beijing Hydrogen E Energy Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
Dany Qian, Global Vice President, JinkoSolar
QIN Hu, Vice President, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
XU Zhonghua, Vice President and Head of TotalEnergies R&D for Asia
YU Min, Director of the Office of Globalization and Government Relations & Government Relations Officer, JA Solar
ZHANG Chuandong, General Manager of Public Affairs, CMA CGM (China) Shipping
In the face of an increasingly complex network data environment, addressing evolving security threats and promoting innovative development of digital trade within a compliance framework is crucial. In light of this, the forum included a digital roundtable themed “Unlocking Opportunities of Digital Trade: Efficient, Convenient and Safe Data Flow Across Borders to Facilitate the Development of Digital Economy,” moderated by ZHANG Wei, Deputy Secretary-General and Senior Fellow of CCG.
The attendees engaged in in-depth discussions on how to seize opportunities in cross-border data flow and the development of digital trade enterprises. The participants included:
Chun Yuan CHIANG, Co-Chair, Digital Health Global Initiative Foundation (DHGl)
GE Peng, Vice Director of the Intelligent and Connected Vehicles Research Section , Center for Automotive Strategy and Policy Research, China Automotive Technology and Research Center
LIU Dacheng, Executive Vice President and Researcher of the China Industry Development Institute, PhD Supervisor at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, and former Vice President of the Internet Industry Institute at Tsinghua University
LIU Dingding, Assistant Director, Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone Administrative Committee
Jordan Pan, CTO and CSO, Venustech
Cathy Wang, China Data Protection Officer, AstraZeneca
WU Yanyan, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Government Affairs, BMW China
XU Weiying, President, Infervision
YANG Hu, Director of Cybersecurity Coordination Department, Cyberspace Administration of Beijing Municipality
The corporate roundtable, themed “Adapting to Global Shifts – Innovative Strategies for the New Business Landscape,” was moderated by Mike Liu, Vice President and Senior Fellow of CCG and Former Managing Director, DXC Technology Greater China. The current global geopolitical tensions, supply chain adjustments, and uneven economic recovery post-pandemic have increased risks and uncertainties for companies operating globally. This roundtable aimed to encourage companies to reassess their strategic positioning in the context of new environments, business models, and regulations, and to achieve cooperative and mutually beneficial outcomes amidst global changes.
At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on hot topics such as how to integrate sustainable development into core business operations, how to strengthen cross-border compliance management, and how companies can enhance competitiveness through technological innovation in new business models. The participants included:
This forum covered a wide range of topics, including the “Two Zones” initiative, climate change, digital economy, and corporate practices. The attendees participated extensively and engaged in active dialogue, achieving rich and outstanding results. The forum provided valuable insights and experiences for advancing the globalization of Chinese enterprises, addressing climate change, promoting the development of the digital economy, and helping companies navigate global changes. Amidst enthusiastic applause, the forum concluded successfully.
Supported by the Chinese top leadership including President Xi, CIFTIS is among the country’s most outward-looking trade shows, making it a major platform for Beijing to officially announce policies supporting China’s economic reform program. Meanwhile, the annual China Inbound-Outbound Forum is one of CCG’s flagship conferences focusing on the modes, trends and issues regarding FDI flowing in and out of China as well as developments of foreign firms operating in China and China’s homegrown multinationals. Established in 2014, the forum was designed as a policy communication platform for leading experts, stakeholders, and professionals in Chinese FDI at home and abroad, including trade advocates, business leaders, corporate executives, policy advisors, commerce diplomats, scholars and practitioners.
