Xing Huina:

Due to time constraints, we will take one last question.

Guangming Daily:

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed deepening the structural reform of foreign trade. How will Chinese customs implement the arrangements of the session and drive its self-reform to accommodate the new situation and new developments? Thank you.

Zhao Zenglian:

Thank you for your question. Studying and implementing the guiding principles of the session represent a major political task at present and for some time to come. Customs authorities nationwide have thoroughly studied and grasped the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and the plans and arrangements of the session, set off a rapid uptick in study and implementation, and worked with relentless persistence to ensure the implementation.

At present, the GACC has initially studied and formed a framework for implementation, which can be summarized as "1+1+4." The first "1" refers to one objective; the second "1" refers to one foothold ; and the "4" refers to four key tasks. The one objective is that in accordance with the overall objectives proposed by the session, we make timely adjustments to the overall plan for further deepening customs reforms comprehensively to advance the modernization of customs, ensuring that our objective is in line with the overall objectives proposed by the session and contributes to Chinese modernization through the modernization of customs. The one foothold is that we will advance the development of smart customs and the action on building a leading country in smart customs. Simply put, the four key tasks are as follows:

First, with a focus on advancing the modernization of China's national security system and capacity, we will further develop the customs' mechanism for safeguarding national border security. As the national customs authority with the largest trade in goods in the world, Chinese customs faces difficulties posed by various forms of trade, high demands of regulations, multiple risks and significant security pressure. In general, we will face and deal with five major risks including goods stuck in customs, concealed information, evasion of regulations, fraud, and threats to national security, people's health and eco-environment. As the Chinese idiom goes, virtue is one foot tall, the devil ten foot, meaning it takes constant vigilance to stave off evil. To tackle these issues, we must drive development through reform, boost vitality through innovation, and deepen reform of customs' supervision institutions and mechanisms. We have proposed improving three mechanisms: the mechanism for risk prevention and control, the mechanism for comprehensive regulation, and the mechanism for scientific and technological support. These mechanisms will solve prominent problems including how to accurately and efficiently identify and deal with risks, how to manage anomalies and safeguard the nation's borders, and how to realize intelligent and autonomous supervision.

Second, with a focus on improving institutions and mechanisms for high-standard opening up, we will further optimize the customs' mechanisms for promoting opening up and development. This is a topic you are also concerned about, which can be summarized into five areas. That is, we will put focus on building a high-standard socialist market economy, steadily expanding institutional opening up, conducting the structural reform of foreign trade, improving planning for regional opening up, and deepening institutional reforms related to the work of foreign affairs. We put forward 16 areas where we need to make breakthroughs. For example, to make breakthroughs in invigorating the foreign trade market, we will build a new type of customs supervision mechanism that is more efficient and fairer to ensure that we can lift market restrictions while ensuring effective regulation. This measure is based on credit rating-based regulation, risk classification, and categorized management. We will coordinate reform and sci-tech and implement intelligent supervision, ensuring that enterprises that break laws and regulations pay the price and smoothing the way for enterprises that have credibility.

Third, with a focus on enhancing socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, we will further improve customs regulations. Earlier this year, the Law on Customs Duties and the newly revised Frontier Health and Quarantine Law were promulgated successively, providing a more powerful legal basis for customs authorities to fully and effectively perform their relevant duties. We will further deepen reform comprehensively by improving customs laws and regulations, advancing reform and rule of law in a coordinated manner, and enhancing customs management institutions and mechanisms, to give better play to the role of the rule of law in consolidating foundations, ensuring stable expectations and delivering long-term benefits.

Fourth, with a focus on deepening institutional reforms related to the Party's leadership and Party building, we will further improve our institutions and mechanisms for exercising full and rigorous self-governance of the Party. Customs authorities are first and foremost a political organ. We will unswervingly uphold and strengthen the Party's leadership in further deepening customs reform comprehensively and improve our institutions and mechanisms for Party building as well as the working mechanism for ensuring that officials do not dare to be, are not able to be, and do not want to be corrupt. We will push forward a three-year action plan for enhancing capacities of customs workers, and advance the efforts of Party committees at three levels to raise their awareness of reform, strengthen their courage of reform and enhance their ability to reform, hence mobilizing the initiative, motivation and creativity of customs authorities to implement reform and promote development.

Regarding the above four key tasks, we have designed 59 measures. Next, we will further improve customs authorities' implementation plan focusing on the "1+1+4" general framework, clarify tasks, timings and priorities, make clear who are responsible for implementing these reforms, and flesh out their responsibilities. We will fulfill our duties and missions of safeguarding the nation's borders and promoting development, and serve well as guards for national borders to meet the expectations of the Party and the people, thereby contributing our efforts to Chinese modernization. Thank you.

Xing Huina:

Today's briefing is hereby concluded. Thank you to the three speakers and all the journalists present here. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Zhu Bochen, Wang Qian, Guo Yiming, Ma Yujia, Liao Jiaxin, Wang Wei, Liu Caiyi, Li Xiao, Zhang Tingting, Zhang Rui, Wang Ziteng, Liu Sitong, Mi Xingang, Li Huiru, Yan Bin, Huang Shan, Yang Xi, Wang Qian, Xu Kailin, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.