China Pushes for New Progress in High-Quality Commercial Development

Summary

At a State Council Information Office press conference on 22 October themed 'Starting the 15th Five-Year Plan', Vice Minister of Commerce Jiang Chenghua set out priorities for high-quality commercial development over the plan period. Commerce work connects urban and rural areas, links domestic and international markets, and bridges production and sales, Jiang said. The ministry will anchor its work in the 'three important' positioning, strengthen the domestic economic cycle and smooth the dual circulation of domestic and international markets.

To foster new consumer momentum, it will adopt a combination of targeted measures and devote greater effort to improving supply, creating new scenarios and upgrading facilities. To expand high-standard opening-up, it will actively pursue unilateral opening, implement a strategy to upgrade pilot free trade zones and firmly uphold the WTO-centred multilateral trading system. It will also expand its network of high-standard free trade areas and actively lead international rule-making in emerging areas such as digital trade and the green economy.

Jiang said China will push for the early entry into force of the China–ASEAN FTA 3.0 and the protocol to upgrade the China–Peru FTA, and accelerate free trade negotiations or upgrades with South Korea, New Zealand and Central Asian countries, while seeking positive progress on RCEP expansion and upgrading. Yang Mu, director of the Department of Market Operation and Consumption Promotion, said the ministry will continue to strengthen the 'Buy in China' brand, expand the coverage of departure tax refunds and improve supporting services such as foreign card payments. Yang Tao, director of the Department of Foreign Trade, said the ministry will deepen the 'three pillars' of goods trade, services trade and digital trade.

Zhao Chunfeng, director of the Department of Outward Investment and Economic Cooperation, said outward investment cooperation should be reflected in four aspects: proper management, adequate services, high-quality development and effective protection of interests. Wu Di, head of the Foreign Investment Management Department, said the ministry will continue to enhance the innovation and leadership capacity of pilot free trade zones.

Commentary

At the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan, China's Ministry of Commerce has explicitly called for accelerating negotiations to upgrade the free trade agreement with New Zealand — a clear policy signal for New Zealand small and medium-sized enterprises. Since the China–New Zealand FTA took effect in 2008, bilateral trade has grown several-fold and China has remained New Zealand's largest trading partner for many consecutive years. If the upgrade incorporates rules for emerging areas such as digital trade and the green economy, it will open new market access opportunities for New Zealand SMEs in software services and environmental technology.

China's emphasis on expanding departure tax refund coverage and improving foreign card payments also directly benefits New Zealand exporters in tourism, retail and education services. However, New Zealand businesses should also note China's strengthening of supply chain security and export controls, particularly in sensitive technology fields, where compliance costs may rise. From an industry perspective, China is pushing for RCEP expansion and upgrading.

As a member, New Zealand will face more intense regional competition in traditional strong products such as dairy and timber, and SMEs need to accelerate differentiated positioning.

Keywords: high-quality commercial development, 15th Five-Year Plan, Jiang Chenghua, free trade area network, new consumer momentum, high-standard opening-up, RCEP, China–New Zealand FTA negotiations

Photo by Jimmy Liao on Pexels

Source: National E-commerce Public Service Network