China has issued a guideline policy on upgrading the country's pilot Free Trade Zones (FTZs).
Released by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council, the guideline emphasizes achieving comprehensive improvement in the pilot FTZs' institutional opening-up level, systematic reform outcomes, and open economy quality within five years of exploration and development.
The guideline proposes to enhance the comprehensive competitiveness of China's foreign trade, optimize and upgrade trade in goods, boost the development of trade in service, and support the innovative development of digital trade. It also proposes to liberalize and facilitate investment, raise the level of market access, and foster a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized.
It calls for the establishment of a high-level innovation ecosystem, promote the integration of innovation chains and industrial chains, and expand international scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation.
The guideline emphasizes the need for efficient, convenient and safe cross-border data flows, establishing rules for data markets, and enhancing the facilitation level of cross-border data flows.
It notes that all regions should intensify their reform efforts and implement the strategy based on local conditions.
China rolls out guideline on upgrading pilot free trade zones
China issues guidelines on implementing strategy for upgrading pilot FTZs
China's Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship has entered its designated orbit after successfully blasting off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center late on Sunday night.
The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site in the country's northwest at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).
About 10 minutes after launch, the spaceship separated from the rocket and has now entered its designated orbit as it prepares for the docking procedure with the Tiangong space station.
The mission's three crew members, including commander Zhu Yangzhu and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, are in good condition, while the launch was declared a complete success by Li Benqi from the launch center.
The Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast, automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station's Tianhe core module, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.
After completing a handover of the Tiangong space station with the Shenzhou-21 crew, the Shenzhou-23 astronauts will start their mission, and one of them will conduct a one-year in-orbit stay, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.
Notably, astronaut Lai Ka-ying is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.
China successfully sends Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship into designated orbit
