Breaking down regional economic barriers is vital for fostering growth in China's economy while enhancing competition and efficiency through a unified national market, said John Gong, professor of economics at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
His remarks echo Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent call to advance market unification and promote the high-quality development of the marine economy during a meeting of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA) held Tuesday. The meeting underscored the significance of building a unified national market to create a new development pattern and urged strengthened coordination to enhance synergy in related efforts.
Gong emphasized that a unified national market could help dismantle barriers to regional economic development.
"A unified market contributes to economic growth, it essentially takes down barriers to trade between provinces. I think this has been a long goal throughout Chinese history. And I think we have made great progress in that regard. This falls into the domain of competition policy and antitrust policies. But I think still, you know, we have still a long way to go in terms of taking away those administration-related anti-competition policies sometimes implemented by local government," he said.
The meeting highlighted the need for innovation-driven strategies, efficient coordination, industrial renewal, and harmonious coexistence between humankind and the sea to drive high-quality development of China's marine economy. It also stressed the importance of strong top-level design, supportive policies, and private sector involvement.
Gong believes China's marine economy has significant growth potential and requires strategic policies to unlock them.
"Moving towards that direction, we need to have a very good top down design to take down these barriers to work towards a unified market. In economic theory, a unified market is always a good market. China has a very long coast line. And as a result, we also have a fairly large area of maritime economic zones, China is certainly at the front end of developing technologies related to maritime explorations. The document mentioned several opportunities like windmill in ocean and also fishing, farming in the sea, deep sea farming. This is actually another area of growth in the future. So I think the central government is paying attention to this area, and essentially developing a policy framework for incentivizing further development in that direction." he said.
China's unified market plan paves way for economic growth, marine innovation: expert
The Iranian government is focusing on public concerns and maintaining stable supplies of essential goods amid recent protests, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a televised interview on Sunday.
In the city of Karaj, northwest of the capital Tehran, daily life has largely continued as normal. A video filmed by a local resident on Sunday shows food stores open and grocery shelves fully stocked.
"This is the block near my home, and there are some food stores here. Daily life continues here. Last night we did not see many protests in Karaj. Right now the city is very safe. This is a grocery store close to my home. All the food is available; nothing is in shortage. Here are noodles and different types of beans. Here are dairy products, cheese, and yogurt. I also checked other grocery stores and didn't see any shortages. Everything is available," said local resident Ali Reza.
Iranian officials have described recent disturbances as acts orchestrated by the "enemy," including some carried out by well-trained and armed "terrorists." The incidents have caused casualties among security personnel and civilians, as well as property damage.
The Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani has directed authorities to severely punish the "terrorists."
Meanwhile, Iran's police chief Ahmad-Reza Radan said on Sunday that the police had raised alert levels and arrested several leaders of the troublemakers during the operations on Saturday.
President Pezeshkian noted in the interview that the normal demands of the Iranian people are reasonable and justified, but they must realize that triggering riots and carrying out terrorist acts are the enemy's attempts to undermine the country. He urged the public to remain vigilant.
Also on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that Tehran would regard U.S. and Israeli bases and facilities in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" if Washington takes military action against Iran. His remarks followed media reports saying U.S. President Donald Trump is "seriously considering authorizing a strike" against Iran.
Iranian state media reported that at least 109 members of Iran's security forces have been killed in clashes since the protests began 14 days ago. Meanwhile, human rights groups based outside the country said the number of protesters killed has exceeded 200, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and sanctions imposed by the United States.
Iranian president says government focusing on ensuring supplies amid protests
