On May 17, Xicheng District held the 2024 Plenary Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng 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 conveying the guiding principles of the Foreign Affairs Work Conference, 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, reviewing Xicheng District’s initiatives to attract investment through work relating to foreign affairs and Hong Kong and Macao affairs, and announcing the monitoring and evaluation results of Xicheng District in improving Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges, as well as plans for future priorities. Sun Shuo, Secretary of the CPC Xicheng District Committee, Director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng District Committee, and Head of the District Leading Group presided over the meeting. Liu Dongwei, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Xicheng District Committee and District Mayor, and Yuan Haipeng, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Xicheng District Committee, attended the meeting.
It was pointed out at the meeting that a sense of mission should be enhanced in work related to foreign affairs and serve the country’s overall diplomacy with the highest standards of service. Continuous efforts should be made to improve the mechanism for supporting major international events and ensure the quality of services for diplomatic events held in Beijing, such as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit. More quality venues with distinct features should be developed for diplomatic activities and the system of resources for hosting foreign affairs events should be further improved to boost the quality of “Beijing Services” with contributions from Xicheng.
During the meeting, emphasis was placed on the need to retrofit and upgrade key areas to better meet the diverse needs for foreign exchange, thus improving Beijing’s role as the center for international exchanges. It is essential to comprehensively enhance the quality of foreign-related services, tap into and revitalize historical and cultural heritage, and launch international exchange projects with high standards. This will unleash the potential of people-to-people exchanges and showcase the image of Xicheng District as a global hub of openness and inclusiveness.
It was stressed at the meeting that foreign affairs resources should be effectively utilized to boost high-quality regional development. The potential of foreign-related work should be further explored to expand opening-up and development. Efforts should be made to broaden channels for attracting investment and strengthen platforms for international cooperation. This includes organizing the Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2024 with high standards and accelerating preparations for the Financial Street Forum Consumption Season and other activities, thereby continuously enhancing the district’s capability to attract investment and commercialize research findings. In addition, tailored services should be delivered to foreign-funded and foreign trade enterprises to facilitate their development.
During the meeting, the importance of strengthening the Party’s leadership in foreign affairs was emphasized. The Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng District Committee and the District Leading Group should make greater efforts to deliberate and deploy major issues, and take a systematic approach to promoting foreign affairs work. Relevant departments in the district should fulfill their primary responsibilities and work collaboratively to advance the district’s foreign affairs efforts. Leaders and officials at all levels should develop an international perspective, strictly adhere to relevant disciplines, and take the lead in learning, understanding, and carrying out foreign affairs work.
At the meeting, other important issues were also deliberated, including the 2023 work summary and 2024 key tasks of the District Leading Group and the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng District Committee. Additionally, the regulations for the Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng District Committee, the detailed regulations and personnel list for the Office of Foreign Affairs Committee of the CPC Xicheng District Committee (revised) and the regulations and personnel list for the District Leading Group (revised) were reviewed.
