Recently, Shijingshan District held the 2024 Plenary Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee & the District Leading Group for Improving Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges. Main items on the meeting’s agenda include studying the key principles of the plenary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the Municipal Leading Group for Improving Beijing’s Role as the Center for International Exchanges, announcing the monitoring and evaluation results of Shijingshan District in improving Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges in 2023, and setting out future work plans. Chang Wei, Secretary of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee, Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee, and Head of the District Leading Group, presided over the meeting. Li Xin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee and District Mayor, attended the meeting.
The meeting highlighted the significance of the district’s foreign affairs work in 2024, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and is a crucial year for achieving the goals set in the 14th Five-Year Plan. It is essential to strengthen the Party’s leadership in foreign affairs work and effectively leverage the role of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee. Foreign-related work should be carried out in a more science-based, forward-looking, proactive and innovative approach. This will steadily improve the district’s capabilities in international exchanges and contribute to the diplomatic endeavors of the Party and the country and Beijing’s foreign-related work, delivering new achievements in supporting the district’s high-quality development through high-quality foreign affairs work.
The meeting stressed the need to study and follow Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy, enhance the sense of responsibility in foreign affairs work, and stay committed to the “Two Establishments” and “Two Upholds”. With an in-depth understanding of the new circumstances and new tasks, work on foreign affairs at the district level should be aligned with the overall diplomatic endeavors of the Party and the country, and Beijing’s efforts in improving its role as the center for international exchanges. All work should be in line with relevant decisions made by the CPC Central Committee and the requirements of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, so as to open up a new landscape in foreign affairs work.
The meeting emphasized the importance of making further efforts to improve Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges and make Shijingshan more internationalized. It is imperative to complete the annual key tasks and deliver tangible outcomes by addressing weak links and building on existing strengths. The district should strive to upgrade services for expats by aligning its business environment with international standards, optimizing the language environment for international exchanges, enhancing services for foreign talent, providing one-stop services for foreign-related matters, and improving foreigners’ consumption and payment experience.
The meeting also stressed the importance of leveraging foreign affairs resources to support the district’s high-quality development. This includes utilizing the “Six Cultural Hallmarks” to create new venues for foreign exchanges. In the post-Winter Olympics era, it is essential to make use of the Olympic legacy at Shougang Park by hosting events such as the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) Special Exhibition, WTT China Smash, and the FIS Freeski World Cup. The district should explore better ways to tell its story to the world and strengthen international communication capabilities. Efforts should be made to deepen exchanges with sister cities to cement and expand its international “circle of friends”. The district should strengthen the implementation of the Ten Measures for Promoting Investment through Work Relating to Foreign Affairs and Hong Kong and Macao Affairs, and tap into the roles of its investment promotion stations in Hong Kong and international chambers of commerce to broaden investment channels and identify potential cooperation projects. Such multi-pronged measures will enhance work results. The capacity to deliver meticulous services to enterprises should also be improved to attract high-end international resources, thereby supporting the cultivation of new quality productive forces and the implementation of global industrial cooperation initiatives.
The meeting called for stronger leadership of the Party and substantive improvement in the district’s capabilities in foreign affairs. The roles of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee and the District Leading Group should be further leveraged. Recognizing that “foreign affairs work is never a trifling matter” and “the whole district should respond coordinately”, Shijingshan should integrate foreign affairs with other work areas and cultivate a high-caliber team of foreign affairs officials for the new era, thereby advancing the district’s foreign affairs work to new heights.
The meeting also deliberated on the 2023 work report and 2024 key tasks of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Shijingshan District Committee, and the list of key tasks for the District Leading Group in 2024.
