In the afternoon of September 10, 2014, Premier Li Keqiang attended and specially addressed the opening ceremony of the eighth Summer Davos Forum at the Tianjin Meijiang Convention Center.
Li Keqiang said that innovation is an inexhaustible engine for economic and social development. Stability and recovery of the world economy relies on innovation. Steady and sound development of Chinese economy in recent years has mainly been powered by reform and innovation as well. Beginning from this year, Chinese economy faces heavier downward pressure. We adhere to the general work principle of making progress while maintaining stability, stay on the course and pursue a proactive approach. Instead of adopting "strong economic stimulus", we have made great efforts to promote reform, readjust the structure, and improve people's livelihood, and have maintained steady economic performance. In the situation of the growth slowing down, the employment rate has risen rather than fallen, the structure has been constantly optimized, and the quality of the growth has been improved.
Li Keqiang pointed out that the overall stability of Chinese economic operation is realized mostly through the implementation of targeted adjustment and control under range-based controlling, which is also a kind of structural adjustment and control. We will continue to innovate our thinking patterns and approaches of macro-control, adopt the measures of reform and innovation more, focus on "incentivizing market entities, strengthening weak links and boosting the real economy", push forward reforms in the key areas of systematic importance, and translate the "gains of reform" into "new dynamism of development" and "new benefit to people's livelihood". We are confident in and capable of realizing the main expected goal for the economic and social development this year.
Li Keqiang stressed that, looking into the future, we should further accelerate the transformation of the mode of economic development, promote the structural adjustment through structural reforms, and make good use of the "golden key" of innovation, so as to make China's economy maintain a medium-high growth rate, move toward the medium-high level, and forge an upgraded version of Chinese economy.
Li Keqiang said that we should accelerate the pace of institutional innovation. Innovation involves not only technology but more of institution and mechanism, management and growth models. We should come up with a "power list", clarifying what the government should do, in accordance with the principles of "Items not legally authorized shall be deemed as impermissible", "Items not legally prohibited shall be deemed as permissible" and "Items legally obliged must be fulfilled"; give out a "negative list", specifying what enterprises cannot do; and sort out a "responsibility list" so as to safeguard the market environment of fair competition. We should strengthen the protection of intellectual property and severely punish the activities involving fake and shoddy products. Through stimulating the market and social vitality, we should make everyone with an entrepreneurial intention gets entrepreneurial space and initiate an upsurge of "public entrepreneurship" and "grassroots entrepreneurship".
Li Keqiang pointed out that we should enhance scientific and technological innovation, rely more on scientific and technological progress to adjust the structure, cultivate and boost new products and new types of operation, accelerate the development of emerging industries such as the service industry, high-tech industry and industries of energy conservation and environmental protection, actively resolve the contradictions of overcapacity and take the path of innovation-driven and endogenous growth. As long as we make every effort to break the various restrictions on the innovation of individuals and enterprises to create a new situation of "innovation by everyone" and "innovation by all", China's development can step onto a new level.
Li Keqiang said finally that China firmly takes the path of peaceful development, serves as an active participant, builder and contributor of the international system, and is committed to maintaining the overall environment of peace and stability as well as the overall situation of good neighborliness and friendship. We oppose protectionism in all its manifestations, advocate an open, fair and unified global market, and promote a simultaneous move of the "two wheels" of the multilateral free trade arrangements and the establishment of bilateral free trade areas. We adhere to carrying out a more proactive opening strategy as well as optimizing and standardizing the environment of business operation to continuously attract foreign enterprises to invest and develop in China. China will always be an open, learning and inclusive major country, and we will strive to build an innovative major country based on China's national conditions.
After the speech, Li Keqiang also answered questions on topics such as the establishment of China's innovation capacity, the financial reform and the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
Present at the Meeting were high-ranking officials from various countries such as Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta of Mali, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania and Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt of Denmark, as well as over 2,100 representatives of all circles from more than 90 countries and regions.
Present were Sun Chunlan, Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Secretary of the CPC Tianjin Committee, and Yang Jing, Member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, State Councilor and concurrently Secretary-General of the State Council.
