New opening up promotes China's competitive strength

China is endeavoring to launch a new high-level opening-up process in 2014, according to Premier Li Keqiang's recent government work report. In overseas observers' opinion, the new round of opening-up will push China to accelerate building an open economic structure that will give it an internationally competitive advantage. Yan Xuetong, head of the Institute of Modern International Relations of Tsinghua University, said China had strengthened relations with neighboring countries, which was the most important change in China's foreign policy. According to the government work report, neighbor policy would be brought to the fore during 2014. Against this backdrop, fresh drive is rising in both "inbound" and "outbound" fields. Daniel H.Rosen, founding partner of Rhodium Group and an expert on China's investment in the United States, said the economic reform would drive Chinese enterprises to enlarge their overseas investments and help them play a role in the international arena. The increasingly deepening "outbound" strategy has changed China's influence on international relations, a Spanish analyst said. Thanks to the new opening-up strategy, Chinese enterprises have strengthened their competitive capabilities in the outbound process, and their status in the international division of labor has also been boosted. "Made in China" has increasingly been upgraded from low-end products to high-end brands, while Chinese communication instruments, railway equipment and power stations are now found in many countries. The world expects to benefit from China's opening-up. Chinese consumers' growing needs was good for France's exports to China, French Foreign Trade Minister Nicole Bricq told Xinhua. Vietnamese ambassador Nguyen Van Tho hoped China's development would also bring opportunities to his country. Overseas media also noticed differences between this government and its predecessors, with a greater focus on the depth and initiative of the opening-up strategy. Setting the agenda and being disciplined will give China a head start in international competition. As Yan said in an article, China's new foreign policy is "not conflict but convergence of interests."