In the government work report delivered today at the opening of the National People’s Congress, Chinese Premier Li Qiang outlined 2024 policies of opening up, trade talks, and key sectors that the government will focus on.

Today, Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao attended meetings at the 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO (MC13) and made statements regarding the WTO’s priorities, with a focus on the Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement.

On the sideline of the 13th Ministerial Conference of the WTO, China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao met with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding China's agenda at the WTO, as well as officials from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and New Zealand

Over the weekend, Wang Yi, China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, made remarks at the Munich Security Conference and took several questions from Christoph Heusgen, the Chairman of the conference, dealing with trade and economic issues, although broader foreign policy issues were the main focus.

Last Friday, top level trade officials talked about the progress of China's trade talks in 2023, including the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), and highlighted that Beijing will add more "high-standard" rules on telecommunication and government

In a document outlining 18 measures to develop trade, China's State Council says it wants to integrate domestic and foreign trade, and sets out ways to boost both.

Speaking at the sixth China International Import Expo (CIIE), which kicked off yesterday, Chinese leaders made commitments on opening up, international agreements, and data flows. While there has been some movement in these areas, more needs to be done to overcome the downward trend of its trade and investment.