Xinhua, Shanghai :
Five days on, the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) has exceeded expectations and earned its place in history, a feat biased critics hate to admit.
While global businesses celebrate the fair as a bonanza, naysayers keep on churning out stale cynicism and skepticism. The expo, in their navel-gazing judgement, will leave a trail of empty promises and trivial new policies and is dismissed as an outdated pomp conspicuous by the absence of powerhouses.
Sober-minded observation would tell a totally different story. China has a well-documented track record of delivering its promises. When China talks about greater opening-up and shared prosperity, it means bold, visible and swift actions.
By honoring pledges to a record number of reforms, China has moved up the global ranking in ease of doing business by 32 slots from last year and earned the country a spot in this year’s top 10 global improvers, according to a World Bank report.
The expo will be no exception for summoning a wave of new opening-up endeavors. The State Council unveiled a guideline Thursday to remove all non-negative-listed market access restrictions on foreign investment within months. A plan for significantly expanding the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone will soon be announced.
