On September 16, Feng Jian, member of the Leading Party Members’ Group and Deputy Director General of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, said at the press conference on promoting Beijing's role as the Center for International Exchanges that we should not promote Beijing's role as the Center for International Exchanges by just blindly borrowing international experience or following other counties' paths, but by adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics as the underpinning.

Feng Jian noted that the concept of adhering to socialism with Chinese characteristics as the underpinning, firstly proposed in the Plan of Beijing for Strengthening Its Role as the Center for International Exchanges During the 14th Five-Year Plan Period, is one of the main features of the Plan.

"We should not promote Beijing’s role as the Center for International Exchanges by just blindly borrowing international experience or following other countries' paths. Instead, we should give full consideration to the national and municipal circumstances to reflect Chinese characteristics and demonstrate China's institutional advantages." According to Feng Jian, the Plan proposes that we should hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses," remain firm in the "Four Confidences," implement the "Two Upholds," and create a path of developing the Center for International Exchanges with Chinese characteristics, Beijing features, and the zeitgeist of our time. We will follow the Party's centralized and unified leadership and its people-centered development thinking through the entire process of promoting Beijing's role as the Center for International Exchanges in all fields.

Feng Jian pointed out that promoting Beijing's role as the Center for International Exchanges should center on the two main tasks of serving China's overall diplomacy and the capital's high-quality development and persist in developing both the "software" and "hardware".

On the one hand, we should meticulously build venues for top-level international exchanges that serve the country's needs, continue to improve the professional capability to serve and support major national events, create the highest standard and a Beijing model for serving the country's overall diplomacy, and make Beijing an important "window" to demonstrate China's practice of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era to the international community. On the other hand, we should strengthen alignment with the city's core works. We should focus on key tasks like the development of an international center for innovation and Beijing's Two Zones, optimize the international environment with enhanced services, attract high-end elements such as international organizations, regional headquarters of multinational companies, R&D centers, international talent, etc. to translate more international resources into real productivity that facilitates Beijing's high-quality development.

(Reporter: Chen Xuening)