Photo taken on Oct 22, 2021, shows decorative installations near the National Exhibition and Convention Center, a main venue for the fourth China International Import Expo, in Shanghai. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Shanghai’s top officials stressed on various occasions during the fourth China International Import Expo that the city will deepen high-level opening-up to drive reform, development and innovation. 

Speaking at a convention on Nov 6, Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng said the city will constantly welcome foreign investment, protect the legal rights and interests of foreign invested enterprises, and provide better services for them.

One of the measures to drive reform would be accelerating the opening-up of regulations and standards in Pudong New Area, a pioneer area for reforms in China. Tougher stress tests will be conducted in the Lingang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Pudong as well, said Gong.

Li Qiang, Shanghai’s Party secretary, also emphasized, during a forum on Nov 6, the importance of Pudong’s opening-up in the city’s quest for high-quality economic growth.

Li, who was attending a parallel session of the fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum — a part of the fourth CIIE — pointed out that more attention should be devoted to conducting basic scientific research and seeking breakthroughs in core technologies.

To achieve this, companies and institutions in Pudong should deepen cooperation with their international peers so that they can be on the same page when it comes to innovation. The area should, at the same time, accelerate its digital transformation and help nurture world-class innovative industrial clusters at a faster pace, he said.

Pudong should also deepen systematic reform and seek greater innovation in policies to become a highland for talents that can gather the top scientists, technology leaders, innovation teams and talents from all industries, Li added.

The Hongqiao International Hub, which was home to the CIIE venue, was also highlighted in the city’s opening-up plans.

“Efforts will also be made to build the Hongqiao International Hub into a distribution center for international trade,” said Gong, the Shanghai mayor.

Gong also noted, during a sub-forum of the fourth Hongqiao International Economic Forum, that Shanghai will focus on attracting global resources to Hongqiao and linking inland provinces so that the hub can better drive the economic growth of the Yangtze River Delta and become a hallmark for reform and opening-up in the new era.

Shanghai, he added, is committed to creating a world-class business environment that is backed by high administrative efficiency, standardized government services and a comprehensive legal system for trade and investment.

To achieve this, the city will continue to implement the negative list for market access and abolish regulations and practices that hinder fair competition and the formation of a unified market.

The city has also enhanced the integration of the digital economy and the real economy, reinforced the digital upgrading of core social sectors such as education, healthcare and civilization, and expanded the application scenarios of digitalization in urban and rural communities, said Gong. 

He added that Shanghai “craves talent now more than ever”, and will be enhancing medical services for expats and international educational resources for their children to attract high-quality talent.

Official data shows that Shanghai is presently home to nearly 17,000 high-tech enterprises, 501 foreign-invested R&D centers, and 818 regional headquarters of multinational corporations.

“Shanghai has a unique, modern business environment,” said Rajat Agarwal, president of Henkel Greater China, a German chemical and consumer goods company that has its Asia Pacific headquarters in the city.

According to Agarwal, Henkel is in the process of investing and upgrading one of its bases in Zhangjiang, Pudong New Area. The upgraded facility, which represents an investment of 500 million yuan ($78.25 million), will become the company’s second-largest inspiration center in the world in 2023.

“Shanghai provides a good environment for hiring top global talents. We are pleased to be part of the city and will make tailor-made solutions for Chinese customers. It’s our plan to improve the capacity of manufacturing operations in the two facilities we already have in domestic market,” he added.

The conducive business environment in the city has also attracted other major global firms such as British-Swedish pharmaceutical and biotechnology firm AstraZeneca.

Lured by Shanghai’s influence in the Yangtze River Delta, AstraZeneca has established a global R&D center in the city as well as manufacturing sites in the neighboring Jiangsu province.

“The city is where many of our partners, including universities and research institutes, are located. It is also a place where we get to witness the growth of the country, which is a key target of our investments,” said Wang Lei, president of AstraZeneca China.

Unveiled in Jing’an district on Oct 11, the R&D center currently employs nearly 600 scientists. The company said it is aiming to increase the number of scientists at the facility to 5,000 in five years.

“We’re grateful for the support provided by the district government and expect to contribute to the R&D and innovation of the medicine industry,” Wang said.

Contact the writers at caochen@chinadaily.com.cn