As an important part of the first Expo Central China, the High Level Forum on Modern Circulation and the Rising of Central China was held in Changsha International Conference & Exhibition Center, Hunan on the afternoon of Sept 26.

Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei attended the Forum and delivered a speech entitled "Promoting the Development of Modern Circulation for the Rising of Central China". In his speech, Mr. Jiang said that the rapid growth of modern circulation, international trade in particular, had become a key factor for global economic growth. With the rapid development of China's socialist market economy and the constant progress in the opening up efforts, modern circulation had been playing a more and more important role in China's economic development. To tell the truth, however, the modernization level of the circulation industry in China was still rather low. Thus there was a great potential to develop.

Mr. Jiang Zengwei said that the central provinces of China were endowed with exceptional advantages geographically, which was the center in China for the flow of people, goods, and information. He said it was fair to say that a stronger central China hinged upon the development of modern circulation industry in this region. Mr. Jiang therefore made five proposals:

1, Making better efforts to put in place a modern circulation system and market system to push forward the economic and social development of Central China. In order for revitalizing Central China, efforts must be made to develop a big unified market in the regions and realize integrated circulation. A big unified energy and raw material market in the central part of China must be built so that the trading conditions in the region can be improved by changing the irrational pricing mechanism of energy and raw material in the market.

2, Opening up wider is an important channel to revitalize Central China. The central provinces shall, on the basis of their own industrial advantages, strengthen their connection with the eastern region economically and technologically, earnestly explore the international market, broaden and deepen the international cooperation to push forward the industrial transfer and industry restructuring process.

3, Breaking up the regional blockade, and facilitating the regional cooperation and coordinated development. To realize a stronger Central China, regional blockade and “administrative” partition must be broken up to give full play to the role of Central China in the whole national economic plate, and to promote the development of modern circulation industry in this region.

4, Establishing and improving the agricultural product circulation system so as to invigorate the circulation of agricultural products. The 6 central provinces are the biggest base of commodity grain in China, where the rural population accounts for 31.2% of the national total. It is of strategic importance for the rising of Central China to establish and improve the agricultural product circulation system.

5, Implementing the strategy of "Promoting Business Growth by Human Talents", and bringing up more circulation professionals.

Other speakers at the Forum were 11 high-level officials including Mr. Li Chunming, Vice Governor of Hubei Province, Mr. Hu Wei, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress and Mr. Gao Shangquan, Chairman of China Society of Economic Reform, experts, scholars and business representatives. Over 300 people attended the Forum including chief officials in charge of commerce in various provinces, representatives of Chinese corporations and institutions in the area of production and circulation, as well as international strategic investors, Chinese and foreign business people, and the press people.

(Source: Network Center of MOFCOM)