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Working Together to Build a Bridge of China-Africa Friendship — The Second Meeting of Heads of China-Africa People's Friendship Organizations' Shandong Tour

From November 7 to 10, 2023, heads of 22 African countries including Congo (DRC) and Cameroon, and 26 international organizations gathered in Jinan to participate in the "Second Meeting of Heads of Chinese and African People-to-People Friendly Organizations," jointly hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the China-Africa People's Friendship Association, and the Shandong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. The meeting, themed "Joining Hands to Build a New Era of China-Africa Community with a Shared Future," saw nearly 40 Chinese and African representatives engaging in dialogues on issues such as win-win cooperation between China and Africa, cultural exchange, and the inheritance of friendship. The meeting adopted the "Jinan Declaration," making positive efforts to promote the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future. During the meeting, the delegation visited Baihua Zhou, Shunjing International Community, and Shandong Heavy Industry Group, experiencing spring water culture, traditional Chinese medicine consultations, and the cutting-edge technology of equipment manufacturing. The blend of tradition and modernity, culture and trade, laid a solid foundation for future Shandong-Africa cooperation and China-Africa cooperation. Delegates expressed their gratitude and reluctance to leave Shandong in writing, expressing their hopes and expectations for China-Africa cooperation. "China and Africa have always been a community with a shared future. High-level exchanges between China and Africa remain close, pragmatic cooperation has yielded fruitful results, people-to-people exchanges have been highlighted, and international cooperation has become increasingly close." Li Bin, Vice Chairman of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a keynote speech. Deng Yunfeng, Vice Governor of Shandong Province, emphasized in his address: "Shandong hopes to continuously expand the dimensions of economic and trade cooperation with Africa, enhance the depth of cooperation exchanges, increase the enthusiasm for people-to-people exchanges, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges." The delegation visited the Shunjing International Community and the Baihua Zhou historical and cultural street. They experienced the integrated development of ancient city protection and modernization, and the interplay of classical and modern cultures. Strolling through Baihua Zhou, they felt the flowing spring water culture, and in conversations with local residents, they sensed the tranquility of daily life. While inspecting community construction, they experienced tea ceremony, paper-cutting, traditional Chinese medicine consultations, and massage, gaining a new understanding of the diverse community life and a first-hand experience of Chinese-style modernization in the daily life of the community. Shandong has a strong industrial base with a full range of industries, and many African countries are accelerating their industrialization process. Shandong and Africa have strong industrial complementarity. The delegation visited the Shandong Heavy Industry Future Technology Museum, marveling at the advanced machinery products of the Heavy Industry Group, and directly acting as spokespersons for Shandong manufacturing, using their mobile phones to live stream, recommending the group's agricultural machinery to their African friends, achieving a two-way rush of Shandong-Africa cooperation. The four-day trip was busy and fruitful, and the warm China-Africa friendship melted the chill of early winter. As the meeting concluded, the representatives set off for home. The short trip condensed the deep friendship between China and Africa across mountains and seas, building bridges of friendship and helping the path of China-Africa cooperation become wider and wider.

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01-26

Working Together to Build a Bridge of China-Africa Friendship — The Second Meeting of Heads of China-Africa People's Friendship Organizations' Shandong Tour

In 2023, Shandong's foreign trade imports and exports grew by 1.7%, with remarkable results achieved in stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade.

On January 19, the Shandong Provincial Government Information Office held a press conference to introduce the economic and social operation situation of the province in 2023. It is understood that in 2023, Shandong's foreign trade imports and exports increased by 1.7%, and significant achievements were made in stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade. The province's total imports and exports, exports, and imports increased by 1.7%, 1.1%, and 2.7% respectively, all exceeding the national average. A series of measures were introduced to stabilize the scale and optimize the structure of foreign trade. Adhering to the principle of proactive policy measures, focusing on issues such as sluggish external demand and insufficient orders, a series of documents were successively introduced, including "Several Measures to Promote the Stable Scale, Optimized Structure, and High-Quality Development of Foreign Trade and Investment", "Shandong Province's Cross-border E-commerce Leap-forward Development Action Plan (2023-2025)", and "Several Policies to Promote the Stable Scale and Optimized Structure of Foreign Trade", proposing more than 60 specific measures and continuously increasing the intensity of policy supply. A "commerce + finance" working mechanism was established, and a series of special events were held, including the provincial "commerce + finance" joint promotion of high-level opening-up and docking meetings, and "commerce + finance" enterprise-benefiting publicity and service docking. The credit amount of "Lu Mao Loan" increased by 154.68% year-on-year, and the loan amount of "Qilu Import Loan" increased by 40.86% year-on-year. Full support was given to enterprises to expand markets and stabilize orders. Provincial and municipal governments worked together, and domestic and international efforts were coordinated to support foreign trade enterprises in expanding markets and stabilizing orders. The "2023 Overseas Hundred Exhibitions Market Development Plan" was formulated, and 10 overseas exhibitions hosted by Shandong, including the Shandong Agricultural Products Tokyo Exhibition and the China Shandong Electromechanical Products Singapore Exhibition, were held. More than 50,000 overseas buyers were received, and provincial and municipal governments organized more than 3,650 enterprises to participate in 545 overseas exhibitions and more than 6,000 enterprises to participate in well-known domestic exhibitions such as the Canton Fair, taking the initiative to obtain orders. Enterprises were actively guided to focus on emerging markets with growth potential, such as Central Asia, Africa, etc., and various resources such as public overseas warehouses, overseas trade logistics parks, and Shandong brand product display centers were coordinated to support enterprises in cultivating export growth points. In 2023, exports to Central Asia, Africa, West Asia, and Latin America increased by 34.5%, 22.5%, 12.2%, and 5.6% respectively. Export structure was optimized and new impetus was cultivated. Efforts were made to optimize the export commodity structure, actively promote the expansion of exports of "new three major items", and organize enterprises to hold one-on-one docking and negotiation meetings in countries such as Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The export of "new three major items" in the province increased by 47.3%. The export scale of automotive parts, game consoles, automobiles, home appliances, and other electromechanical products was consolidated and expanded, with electromechanical product exports increasing by 7% and accounting for 2.6 percentage points more of the province's total. New foreign trade formats were vigorously cultivated, and 10 "cross-border e-commerce + industrial belt" special events were held throughout the year. Enterprises in characteristic industrial belts such as auto parts and home textiles were organized to conduct cross-border e-commerce cooperation promotion activities in Malaysia and Indonesia. Groups of used car export enterprises were organized to hold trade talks in the UAE and Russia, conducting one-on-one precise docking with local e-commerce platforms, wholesale markets, and large distributors to promote the cultivation and expansion of new format entities. Efforts were strengthened to help enterprises overcome difficulties and expand imports of key commodities. The "Import, Export, and Promotion" special service action was continuously carried out, making good use of the "Shandong Province Foreign Trade and Investment Service Platform", and solving financing and customs clearance problems for enterprises on a case-by-case basis. A coordinated mechanism among customs, ports, railways, and enterprises was accelerated, and the Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce, together with Qingdao Customs, Jinan Customs, and other departments, promptly coordinated to solve problems related to customs clearance and logistics for enterprises, helping imported goods to achieve rapid customs clearance. The "commerce + port" cooperation mechanism was deepened, and the advantages of comprehensive supply chain services of provincial state-owned enterprises such as the Shandong Port Group were leveraged to help enterprises expand imports of resources, energy, and agricultural products. In 2023, imports of iron ore, copper ore, aluminum ore, and refined oil increased by 5.7%, 41.1%, 7.2%, and 215.4% respectively, driving a 4.5 percentage point increase in the province's total imports. Agricultural product imports increased by 6.2%, driving a 0.8 percentage point increase in the province's total imports.

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01-26

In 2023, Shandong's foreign trade imports and exports grew by 1.7%, with remarkable results achieved in stabilizing the scale and optimizing the structure of foreign trade.

Several Measures to Promote Steady Growth, Optimized Structure, and High-Quality Development of Foreign Trade and Investment

I. Drafting Background and Process To thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, fully implement the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Stable Scale and Optimized Structure of Foreign Trade" (Guobanfa [2023] No. 10), stabilize the basic situation of foreign trade and investment in the province, and promote high-quality development of foreign economy and trade, policies to promote high-quality development of foreign trade and investment are proposed. After being signed by relevant provincial departments (units), completing fair competition review and legality review, the "Several Measures" were formed. II. Main Content and Innovations 26 measures are proposed to promote foreign trade, utilize foreign investment, and optimize the business environment with greater efforts. (I) Greater Efforts to Promote Stable and High-Quality Development of Foreign Trade 1. Focus on expanding the export scale of key products and key markets. Organize the "new three items" products to explore international markets, promote the establishment of international marketing channels for advantageous industries such as automobile complete vehicles and rubber tires, and expand the scale of used car exports. 2. Accelerate the import of bulk commodities and advanced technological equipment. Build an international mineral product bonded mixing and distribution center, expand the import scale of bonded mixed mineral products, and increase the intensity of interest subsidies for the import of key technologies, important equipment and components. 3. Fully support enterprises in expanding markets and stabilizing market share. Organize and implement the overseas "Hundred Exhibitions" market development plan, and provide an 80% subsidy for the booth fees of key exhibitions included in the "Hundred Exhibitions" plan. 4. Develop and strengthen trade entities. Promote diversified tax guarantee methods, and encourage more enterprises to become customs "Authorized Economic Operators" (AEO). 5. Continuously promote the innovative and healthy development of cross-border e-commerce. Incubate a batch of new cross-border e-commerce enterprises, implement tax refunds with invoices and tax exemption without invoices for qualified cross-border e-commerce retail export enterprises in comprehensive pilot zones, and conduct pilot tax assessment of enterprise income tax at a 4% taxable income rate. 6. Accelerate the promotion of trade digitalization and green trade development. Identify a number of provincial-level digital service export bases, and increase the allocation of green electricity resources to key foreign trade enterprises. 7. Improve the effectiveness of the pilot policy for export tax rebates at the port of shipment. Open up information interconnection channels between the port of shipment and the port of departure, integrate resources such as routes, finance, and trade, promote the enjoyment of export tax rebate policies by enterprises, and expand export scale. 8. Increase the intensity of import and export credit lending. Establish a directory of key enterprises importing from Africa and RCEP member countries, and expand imports of key materials such as food, energy, and resources, advanced technologies, and major equipment. Implement the "commerce + finance" policy, and financial institutions will provide credit to the province's commercial enterprises with a scale of no less than 460 billion yuan. 9. Better play the role of export credit insurance. Expand the coverage of small and micro enterprises, and the number of small and micro enterprises insured by the "single window" shall not be less than 18,000. 10. Optimize cross-border settlement services for foreign trade. Formulate a list of potential "first-time clients" for cross-border RMB business, and expand the scale of first-time clients for exchange rate hedging. (II) Greater Efforts to Attract and Utilize Foreign Investment 11. Carry out investment promotion activities in depth. Hold high-level events such as the Qingdao Summit of Transnational Corporation Leaders, the Confucian Businessmen Conference, the Hong Kong and Macao Shandong Week, and the Shandong-Transnational Corporation Cooperation Symposium, actively connect with foreign business institutions, chambers of commerce, and industry associations in China, and provide project investment information matching services for various cities. The number of visits and personnel for key park staff to go abroad for business trips such as investment promotion and economic and trade tasks will be arranged according to actual work needs. 12. Deepen investment cooperation with key countries and regions. Focusing on high-end equipment, green energy and other fields, continuously expand cooperation with developed economies such as Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States. Deepen mechanism-based cooperation such as the Singapore-Shandong Economic and Trade Council. 13. Improve the level of attracting foreign investment in manufacturing. Focusing on 11 iconic industrial chains such as new generation information technology and high-end chemicals, introduce a batch of foreign investment projects to supplement, extend, and strengthen the industrial chain in manufacturing. Support various cities in deepening cooperation with central enterprises and introducing a batch of high-quality foreign investment projects; encourage all levels of state-owned enterprises to conduct overseas mergers and acquisitions and overseas financing to return for development. 14. Further expand the areas of attracting foreign investment. Accelerate the pilot program for qualified foreign limited partners (QFLP), and support the use of raised offshore RMB to directly conduct relevant domestic investments. Encourage government-guided funds to participate in the establishment of QFLP funds in a market-oriented manner, and support foreign investment in establishing research and development centers. 15. Give full play to the role of development zones as the main platform for utilizing foreign investment. Deepen the reform of development zone management systems, and promote more large foreign investment projects to settle in around the leading industries. Give full play to the role of platforms such as the Shandong Pilot Free Trade Zone, the SCO Demonstration Zone, the Jinan New and Old Kinetic Energy Conversion Starting Area, the Qingdao West Coast New Area, and the Jinan-Qingdao-Yantai International Investment Promotion Industrial Park, and focus on key industries to increase efforts to attract foreign investment. 16. Strengthen the coordination of key foreign investment projects. Establish a supervision and dispatch mechanism for major foreign investment projects, implement the "Secretary and Mayor Project Engineering", implement the main responsibility of various cities for major foreign investment projects, and strengthen the coordination of foreign investment attraction work. 17. Strengthen the element guarantee for foreign investment projects. Key foreign investment projects can apply for the use of provincial-level reserved energy consumption indicators in accordance with regulations, and those that need to increase the newly constructed land area will be uniformly arranged by the provincial level for land indicators, and the total amount of pollutant emissions within the city will be coordinated. 18. Increase financial and tax support for foreign investment. Newly established projects with annual foreign investment inflow exceeding US$50 million and increased investment projects with annual foreign investment inflow exceeding US$30 million, the provincial finance will provide support at a rate of 2% of the actual expenditure of the foreign investment inflow, and the city where the project is located will provide support at a rate of no less than 1% of the actual expenditure of the foreign investment inflow, with a maximum of no more than 100 million yuan. 19. Strengthen financial policy support for foreign investment. Support qualified foreign-invested enterprises to obtain financing through listing on the main board, STAR Market, ChiNext, listing on the basic layer and innovation layer of the NEEQ, and issuing corporate credit bonds. 20. Strengthen the construction of the investment promotion team. Support various cities in implementing a more flexible salary system for the employed personnel of investment promotion departments and teams. (III) Greater Efforts to Optimize the Business Environment 21. Build a collaborative mechanism among customs, localities, ports, railways, zones, and enterprises. Promote data interconnection among customs, localities, ports, railways, zones (free trade zones, bonded zones, customs special supervision zones), and enterprises, and build a "one-click, one-stop, and full-process" data sharing platform to serve the logistics development of the Yellow River Basin. 22. Properly address unreasonable trade restrictions. Timely release early warning information on trade frictions to enterprises, strengthen guidance and training on litigation for involved enterprises, and provide support for enterprise litigation. 23. Optimize supporting services for international exchanges. Fully implement the "one-stop acceptance and parallel approval" for foreign nationals working in China, and provide convenience for residence and stay for senior executives of foreign-invested enterprises and foreign technical personnel and their families. 24. Create a good development environment for international talents. Carry out pilot programs for the recognition of overseas professional qualifications in free trade zones. 25. Improve the efficiency of government services for enterprises. Promote the trial implementation of the commitment system for project environmental impact assessment and approval, reduce the time limit for enterprises to apply for discharge permits for the first time from 30 working days to 20 working days, and reduce the proportion and frequency of inspections for foreign-invested enterprises with low credit risk. 26. Strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of foreign investors. Ensure that foreign-invested enterprises enjoy equal treatment in intellectual property protection, standard setting, government procurement, and bidding and tendering. From Shandong Provincial Department of Commerce

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01-24

Several Measures to Promote Steady Growth, Optimized Structure, and High-Quality Development of Foreign Trade and Investment

Shandong's 2023 foreign trade report card is here: Highlights amidst resilience

Recently, Shandong's 2023 foreign trade performance report was released: The total annual import and export value was 3.26 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.7%; exports were 1.94 trillion yuan, up 1.1%; imports were 1.32 trillion yuan, up 2.7%. The growth rates of imports and exports, exports, and imports all generally outperformed the national average. Against the backdrop of a more complex global foreign trade situation last year, Shandong's foreign trade demonstrated ample resilience in 2023, contributing to the stability of the national foreign trade foundation. Analyzing various situations, Shandong's imports and exports showed resilience while also presenting frequent highlights last year. Firstly, the diversification of trading partners. In 2023, Shandong's trading partners spanned over 230 countries and regions worldwide. Among them, imports and exports to countries jointly building the 'Belt and Road' amounted to 1.84 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.3%, accounting for 56.3% of the province's total import and export value, an increase of 0.8 percentage points. Over the ten years since the 'Belt and Road' initiative was proposed, Shandong has accelerated its efforts to serve the national opening-up strategy, continuously consolidating the win-win situation with co-building countries. In 2023, while consolidating traditional foreign trade markets, Shandong actively explored emerging markets such as ASEAN and Africa, deeply implementing the 'Overseas Hundred Exhibitions Market Expansion Plan'. Provincial and municipal levels cumulatively organized over 3,600 enterprises to participate in more than 530 overseas exhibitions, further expanding the 'circle of friends' in foreign trade. Secondly, foreign trade entities have shown ample vitality. In 2023, foreign trade entities with import and export records in Shandong Province exceeded 68,000, an increase of over 4,000 from the previous year. Among them, private enterprises totaled 62,300, with combined imports and exports of 2.42 trillion yuan, up 3.9%, accounting for 74.3% of the province's total import and export value, an increase of 1.6 percentage points, driving the province's growth by 2.8 percentage points, highlighting their role as the main force in foreign trade. In 2023, facing the impact of various unfavorable factors on foreign trade, Shandong strengthened policy support, focusing on issues such as sluggish external demand and insufficient orders. It researched and issued 'Several Measures to Promote Stable Scale, Optimized Structure, and High-Quality Development of Foreign Trade and Investment', 'Shandong Province Cross-border E-commerce Leapfrog Development Action Plan (2023-2025)', 'Several Policies to Promote Stable Scale and Optimized Structure of Foreign Trade', and others, proposing over 60 specific measures to stabilize the confidence of foreign trade enterprises. The vitality of foreign trade entities, especially private enterprises, confirms that these policy measures have played a positive role. Thirdly, the rise of new drivers in foreign trade. In 2023, China surpassed Japan to become the world's largest automobile exporter, with new drivers represented by the foreign trade 'new three items' showing outstanding performance, becoming new growth points for foreign trade. Shandong has a solid foundation in the automobile manufacturing industry and complete industrial infrastructure, possessing a late-mover advantage in developing the foreign trade 'new three items'. In 2023, Shandong's exports of the foreign trade 'new three items' products amounted to 9.39 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 47.3%. Looking back at 2023, Shandong's foreign trade import and export scale showed steady growth, and the quality of development improved. Looking ahead to 2024, although the external economic environment still presents uncertainties, the trend of China's economic recovery and long-term improvement remains unchanged. Shandong possesses a solid industrial foundation, and the transformation of old and new growth drivers is continuously deepening, with factors supporting high-quality development continuously accumulating. In the new year, as policy effects gradually become apparent and high-level opening-up steadily progresses, Shandong's foreign trade foundation will continue to be consolidated, and the basis for stable import and export growth, improved quality, and increased efficiency will be further strengthened.

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01-24

Shandong's 2023 foreign trade report card is here: Highlights amidst resilience

In 2023, Shandong Province's import and export trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative increased by 3.3%.

On the afternoon of January 17, the Information Office of Shandong Provincial People's Government held a press conference, inviting relevant officials from Qingdao Customs and Jinan Customs to introduce the situation of Shandong Province's foreign trade import and export in 2023.At the press conference, Zhang Yibing, Deputy Commissioner of Jinan Customs, introduced Shandong Province's import and export situation with "Belt and Road" partner countries in the first half of 2023.According to Zhang Yibing, over the past year, Shandong Province has achieved smoother customs clearance and closer trade ties with "Belt and Road" partner countries, playing an increasingly prominent role in promoting high-quality development of Shandong's foreign trade.Data shows that in 2023, Shandong Province's import and export with partner countries reached 1.84 trillion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 3.3%. Among these, exports were 995.3 billion RMB, up 4.8%; imports were 843.45 billion RMB, up 1.5%. The main characteristics are as follows:First, trade ties have become closer, and the scale of import and export has steadily expanded. Since the "Belt and Road" Initiative was proposed, Shandong Province's trade volume with partner countries has repeatedly hit new highs. In 2019 and 2022, it successively crossed the 1 trillion and 1.5 trillion RMB thresholds, respectively. In 2023, the import and export value reached 1.84 trillion RMB, accounting for 56.3% of the province's total foreign trade, with both scale and proportion being the highest levels since the initiative's inception.Second, partnerships have become closer, with import and export growth achieved with most partner countries. Against the backdrop of weak recovery in developed economies in Europe and America, "Belt and Road" countries, mainly emerging markets, have taken over and become important partners supporting our province's foreign trade growth. In 2023, Shandong Province achieved import and export growth with 107 partner countries, with trade with Malaysia, Russia, and Guinea growing by 22.4%, 27.6%, and 22.5% respectively.Third, foreign trade entities continue to grow, with private enterprises being the most dynamic. Private enterprises' participation in trade with partner countries continues to increase. In 2023, a total of 53,000 enterprises in Shandong Province deepened their presence in the "Belt and Road" market, an increase of 3,891. Among these, 48,500 were private enterprises, achieving an import and export value of 1.44 trillion RMB, an increase of 5.3%, and their share increased by 1.5 percentage points to 78.1%, driving the import and export growth with partner countries by 4 percentage points.Fourth, new and old growth drivers work in synergy, making industrial connections smoother. In 2023, Shandong Province's exports of mechanical and electrical products to partner countries reached 446.86 billion RMB, an increase of 12.8%, accounting for 44.9%. Among these, exports of "new three" products such as electric manned vehicles, lithium-ion batteries, and solar cells increased by 32%; exports of clothing and furniture increased by 17.6% and 39.7% respectively. The connection between partner countries and our province's industrial and supply chains is becoming closer, with 57% of our province's intermediate products exported to partner countries. Among these, automotive parts, chemical fiber textile raw materials, and ferroalloys increased by 22.5%, 117.4%, and 519.7% respectively.Fifth, trade cooperation in agricultural and energy products continues to deepen. Since the "Belt and Road" Initiative was proposed, the depth and breadth of Shandong Province's cooperation with partner countries in agricultural and energy products have continuously expanded. Partner countries have become important agricultural trade partners and sources of energy products for our province. In 2023, our province's agricultural trade volume with partner countries reached 124.73 billion RMB, accounting for 39.6% of our province's total agricultural trade. In terms of energy products, our province continues to strengthen energy cooperation with Middle Eastern and Central Asian partner countries, as well as Russia. The scale of energy product imports from partner countries reached 355.69 billion RMB, increasing its share of the province's total energy imports to 94.4%.Zhang Yibing stated that it has been ten years since the "Belt and Road" Initiative was proposed. Over these ten years, the mutually beneficial and win-win situation between our province and partner countries has continued to consolidate. Looking ahead to the next decade, the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" will bring new opportunities and broader development prospects for Shandong Province's high-quality foreign trade development. Next, Qingdao Customs and Jinan Customs will continue to contribute to promoting safe and smooth trade with partner countries and advancing the high-quality joint construction of the "Belt and Road" for sustained and long-term development.

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01-23

In 2023, Shandong Province's import and export trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative increased by 3.3%.
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