On the morning of July 12, the State Council Information Office held a special Zhejiang press conference with the theme of “Re-Deepen Eight-Eight Strategy¹ & Reform and Opening-Up” to celebrate the 70^th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. 82 reporters from 38 domestic and foreign media outlets participated in this conference. Che Jun, secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, made a keynote speech and answered reporters'questions at the press conference. Yuan Jiajun, deputy secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and governor of Zhejiang, also answered reporters'questions.

    At the press conference, reporters raised many questions, covering topics like Zhejiang's further promotion of “eight-eight strategy,” comprehensive implementation of the national strategy of integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta, maintenance of the private economy's development momentum, promotion of import and export trade, and participation in the Belt and Road construction, as well as the digital transformation of the government and the promotion of the reform “One-Time Visit².” Che Jun and Yuan Jiajun answered the questions with vivid examples and informative data.

    A reporter from a China-Arab TV station from the United Arab Emirates asked, “Yiwu, a city of Zhejiang, is a global distribution center for small commodities. Businessmen from many countries, especially Arab countries, have come to Yiwu for trade. The first China-Central and Eastern European Countries Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair was held in Ningbo this year. Does this mean that Zhejiang will play an increasingly important role in the construction of the “Belt and Road”? Che Jun replied that Zhejiang is clear about its role in the construction of “Belt and Road,” that is, to create an important hub for the “Belt and Road” and to stay at the forefront of the “Belt and Road” construction. The key to playing this role well is leveraging Zhejiang's businessmen, channels, and platforms.

    Che Jun also said that speaking of the advantages of channels, Yiwu's small commodities market is a case in point. It is known as the “world supermarket” and “global buyer & global seller.” There are 13,000 overseas businessmen living and doing business here and it exports commodities to more than 200 countries and regions. In addition, the Yiwu-Europe China Railway Express (YECRE) ran more than 300 trains for freight delivery last year. As for the advantages of platforms, the China-Yiwu Imported Commodities Fair, the YECRE, and the Belt and Road Czech Station are all important platforms for Zhejiang's opening-up.

    Both Che Jun and Yuan Jiajun mentioned Yiwu several times when they introduced Zhejiang's achievement in reform and opening-up as well as its future development. This not only affirms Yiwu's persistent efforts in deepening reform and opening-up under the guidance of the “eight-eight strategy,” but also places great hope on Yiwu's leading role in a new round of reform and opening-up.

(By Chen Xiaowen—Yiwu Business—, translated by Shen Yingying, edited by Mariam Ayad)

 Translator's notes:

1. It is a guideline put forward by Xi Jinping, who was then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee in July 2003. It calls for Zhejiang to take measures in eight different aspects by making use of its advantages in these eight aspects in a bid to bolster its future development.
2. An evolutionary step in streamlining administration and delegating power.