On Friday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang led a pivotal State Council executive meeting focused on enhancing trade in services and improving the consumption of these services. A key highlight of the meeting was the approval of an action plan aimed at refining the recycling system for used new energy vehicle (NEV) power batteries. This initiative underscores China's commitment to sustainable development and circular economy principles.
The State Council outlined innovative strategies to invigorate the trade in services sector. Among these, China will fully implement a negative list approach for cross-border trade in services, ensuring greater openness and flexibility. New measures are set to be introduced in critical fields such as telecommunications, education, culture, medical services, and finance, paving the way for expanded multilateral and bilateral cooperation.
To further stimulate the export of services, the government plans to enhance regional cooperation and digital trade initiatives. Emphasizing high-quality development, the meeting stressed the importance of increasing the supply of quality services. This will be achieved through the comprehensive utilization of fiscal, tax, and financial policies, ensuring that services consumption meets the growing demands of the population.
In addition to trade advancements, the meeting highlighted efforts to build a robust, safe, and effective recycling and utilization system for power batteries. Ensuring traceability throughout the entire lifecycle of these batteries—from production and marketing to disassembly and utilization—was emphasized as a priority. The State Council also called for the improvement of related administrative regulations and the acceleration of standards development for the green design and carbon footprint accounting of batteries.
Premier Li Qiang noted that departments under the State Council have successfully addressed all suggestions and proposals submitted by lawmakers and political advisors in the previous year. Moving forward, the meeting called for continued efforts to manage this year's submissions with high quality, aiming to secure broader public support for China's trajectory towards high-quality development.
Reference(s):
State Council discusses trade in services, services consumption
cgtn.com
