China to intensify efforts to build unified national market, promote private economy

China will promulgate a set of guidelines for the construction of a unified national market as soon as possible, and enact a law on private economy promotion in 2025, said a senior official with China's top economic planner -- the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) -- on Friday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Xiao Weiming, deputy director-general of the NDRC, said that the promulgation of the guidelines is part of the efforts to promote in-depth and practical construction of a unified national market.

He said the NDRC will speed up the release of a new version of the market access negative list and the formulation of a set of measures for implementing the regulations for fair competition review.

According to Xiao, comprehensive reform trials for the market-based allocation of production factors will be advanced, and the construction of a unified national electric power market will be stepped up. Efforts will also be made to build an open and unified transportation market and accelerate the removal of major bottlenecks in building roads and inter-provincial waterways.

The NDRC will work to enable employees across wider regions to draw money from their housing provident fund accounts for interregional spending, and promote trans-regional activation and use of social security cards. It will also work to promote mutual recognition of test results among medical institutions across wider areas, according to Xiao

Xiao said the NDRC will work to step up development of the private economy and promote efforts in enacting the law on the private economy promotion.

Meanwhile, the commission will cooperate with other competent authorities in carrying out exclusive operations to regulate law enforcement on enterprises, in effectively maintaining the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises and entrepreneurs, according to Xiao.

"We will work to promote fair opening of competitive infrastructure sectors to business entities, especially private enterprises. We will provide private enterprises with greater access to major national scientific research infrastructure. Efforts will also be made to improve the system of policies for supporting financing of private enterprises, and promote efforts to settle overdue payments," he said.

China to intensify efforts to build unified national market, promote private economy

China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.

Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.

The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.

The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.

Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.

He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.

Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.

China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM