俄通社-塔斯社记者:今年是中俄建交70周年,在两国关系发展史上具有里程碑意义。去年中俄双边贸易额历史上首次突破1000亿美元,今年中俄关系和经贸合作会有哪些新的突破?
TASS: This year marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, a milestone in the history of relations between our two countries. Last year, for the first time, two-way trade exceeded US$100 billion. What new breakthroughs do you foresee for the growth of Russia-China relations, and in particular, their economic and trade cooperation this year?
李克强:中俄互为最大邻邦,中俄保持良好稳定的关系不仅有利于双方,也有利于地区、有利于世界。
Premier Li: China and Russia are each other’s biggest neighbors. A sound and stable China-Russia relationship serves the interests of the two countries, the region and the world.
今年是中俄建交70周年。70年来,中俄关系走过了不平凡的路,现在可以说是高水平的。我们的政治互信不断增强,人文交流也在不断深化,特别是刚才你提到,去年在世界贸易下行的情况下,中俄之间贸易额突破了1000亿美元的规模,这可以说是一个新的标志。这本身表明,我们之间的合作有很大潜力。下一步,我们还可以拓展领域。我们既可以“抓大”,也可以“推小”,抓大项目、大宗商品贸易,推小微企业,包括跨境电商的合作。既可以“上天”,在航天航空领域合作,也可以“下地”,推地方民间的交流。就是要把能用的十八般武艺都用起来,巩固中俄经贸规模突破1000亿美元的成果,而且向翻番的目标迈进。
This year is the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. In the past seven decades, our relationship has traveled an extraordinary journey. And today it has reached a very high level featuring deepening mutual political trust and growing people-to-people exchange. As you mentioned, in spite of the downturn in global trade growth last year, trade between our two countries exceeded, for the first time, US$100 billion. That shows there is still much untapped potential in our business ties. And we need to work together to further expand areas of cooperation. For example, we may continue to focus on our big project cooperation and trade in commodities. We may also strengthen our cooperation between micro and small firms and cross-border e-commerce platforms. We may enhance collaboration in aviation and aerospace, and also enhance exchanges at the sub-national level and between our peoples. In a word, we need to make use of all possible means at our disposal to, first, keep our 100-billion-dollar trade stable, and then, work further toward the goal of doubling it.
澎湃新闻记者:您一直在强调要大力发展“互联网+”,发展共享经济,但是去年发生了一连串的负面事件。您对此怎么看?下一步政府对规范发展共享经济有什么新的举措?
The Paper: You have been calling for the growth of Internet Plus and sharing economy. However, we also saw serious problems last year in these areas. What’s your comment? What measures should be adopted to better regulate the growth of sharing economy?
李克强:“互联网+”、共享经济,也可以说是平台经济。它们作为新事物,和任何新事物一样,在发展中总会有利有弊。但是总的看,它们带动了就业,方便了群众,而且推动了相关产业的发展。像电商、快递、移动支付等,大家都有感受,众人做事,集众智、聚众力,众人共享。
Premier Li: Internet Plus and sharing economy can also be viewed as a platform economy. Like other new things, they also have upsides and downsides. They have added new jobs, and made life easier and more convenient for our people. They have also driven China’s industrial development. For example, the growth of e-commerce, express delivery services and mobile payment have made life more convenient for our people. When wisdom and strength are pooled, all stand to benefit.
对于这些新业态、新模式,不能简单任性,要么不管,要么管死。所以我们这几年一直采用的是包容审慎的原则。包容就是对新的事物,我们已知远远小于未知,要允许它们发展,对发展中出现的问题加以纠正。
For these new forms of business and new business models, we must not exercise arbitrary regulation or oversight, that is, either letting them be or shutting them down as soon as problems appear. Our choice over the years is to exercise accommodative and prudential regulation. By accommodative, we need to recognize that what is known about new things is always much less than what is unknown about them. So they should be allowed a good chance to grow. And the government needs to detect and redress any possible problem that comes along the way.
所谓审慎监管,就是要划出安全的底线,不允许打着“互联网+”、共享经济的招牌搞招摇撞骗。要给创业者提供一个能够成长的空间,给企业一个发展新动能的环境。在这个过程中,我们需要的是公平的准入、公正的监管。新事物在市场力量推动过程中,发展要靠市场,也要在市场竞争中优胜劣汰,政府也要进行公平公正监管。愉快和烦恼总是在成长当中相伴随,我们要做的就是引导他们健康成长。
By prudential regulation, the government needs to draw a clear line at public safety and security. And no one should be allowed to use Internet Plus or sharing economy as an excuse or means for cheating and manipulation. In this way, our purpose is to foster a more enabling environment for all entrepreneurs and provide our companies good opportunities in developing new drivers of growth. In a word, there should be equal access to the market and impartial regulation on the part of the government. In market competition, the fittest will survive. And with impartial regulation, good rules will be enforced. There will always be both happiness and pain in the growth of new forms of business. The job of the government is to provide them with proper guidance.
其实,互联网经济、共享经济、平台经济还有很大发展空间。电商、快递对工业品下乡、农产品进城,可以进一步起到搞活流通的作用。在工业领域,推动工业互联网,可以把那些闲置的资源带动起来,而且促进技术创新。在社会领域,用武之地就更大了,像“互联网+医疗健康”、“+养老助幼”、“+教育”,可以联动许多方面,尤其是让偏远地区、农村的群众、家庭、孩子通过互联网能够享受优质的学校、医院,优秀的教师、医生资源,帮助他们解决实际问题。这方面的例子就很多了,我看过不少“互联网+医疗诊断”、“+教育”的实例,这本身就是在释放着市场的活力和社会的创造力。
Internet Plus and sharing and platform economies still have broad space for further growth. For example, e-commerce and express delivery services have made it possible for industrial goods to reach rural areas, and for quality agricultural produce to be delivered to urban households. In the industrial sector, we may advance the Industrial Internet to put idle production equipment to better and more efficient use and encourage technological innovation. In the social sphere, Internet Plus has also made a difference. For example, it has enabled the sharing and connectivity of different medical, health care resources, educational resources and other services so that even children, aged people and others living in remote rural areas can have access to better hospitals, schools, doctors, teachers and other quality resources. There are many such concrete examples. Such a development has further energized our markets and unleashed public creativity.
香港凤凰卫视记者:外商投资法当中并没有涉及到港澳台的投资,我想这会让港澳台各界有些不太理解,您刚刚关于对外开放的表述,其中也没有谈到港澳台,这会不会表明中央政府对待港澳台的投资政策会有一些调整呢?
Phoenix TV: The Investment from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan is not addressed in the Foreign Investment Law. This may be confusing for people from these three regions. And in your comments about China’s opening-up, you did not mention what measures would be adopted toward Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. Does that mean that there will be certain adjustment to the policies of the central government regarding investment from these three regions?
李克强:香港和澳门是中华人民共和国的特别行政区,海峡两岸同属一个中国。我们历来高度重视港澳台的投资,港澳到内地的投资占我们利用境外投资的70%,能不重视吗?我们会进一步发挥港澳作为单独关税区和自由港的作用。我刚才对台湾记者也说了,我们会为台胞来大陆投资兴业创造优惠的条件。
Premier Li: Hong Kong and Macao are special administrative regions of the People’s Republic of China, and the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one and the same China. We have all along attached great importance to investment from these three regions. Investment from Hong Kong and Macao accounts for 70 percent of all overseas investment on the mainland. So how can we not set store by investment from these two regions? We will further harness the advantages of Hong Kong and Macao as separate customs territories and free ports. When I was addressing the question from the Taiwan journalist, I also said that we are going to create more favorable conditions for business people from Taiwan to invest on the mainland.
我这里要明确,港澳台投资是可以参照、或者比照适用刚刚通过的外商投资法,而且我们长期以来行之有效的一些制度安排和实际做法还要继续沿用,不仅不会影响而且会有利于吸引港澳台的投资。国务院在制定有关法规或者有关政策性文件的过程中,会认真听取港澳台同胞的意见,切实保护好他们的合法权益,也欢迎有更多的港澳台投资。
The Foreign Investment Law can be used as a reference for investment from these three regions. Moreover, the institutional arrangements and actual practices that have long been in place and proven effective for them will go on unaffected. We hope that these efforts will help to attract even more investment from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The State Council will formulate related regulations or policy documents. In this process, we will listen carefully to the views of fellow Chinese from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to see their lawful rights and interests duly protected. Investment from these three regions is most welcome.
《中国日报》记者:从去年开始,国内消费增速出现了持续下滑的态势,但同时我们也看到,有上亿的中国人走出国门到海外去消费。政府将出台什么措施来进一步提振国内消费?
China Daily: Last year, the growth of China’s domestic consumption trended downward. However, at the same time, hundreds of millions of Chinese chose to travel overseas for shopping. My question is: what measures will the government take to boost domestic consumption?
李克强:的确,一段时间以来,我国的消费出现了增速放缓的趋势。消费和民生可以说是一个硬币的两面,我们需要合理的投资规模和消费增长。当然消费需要有收入支撑,但同时也要看到,我们的消费当中确实还存在着不少堵点和障碍,应该去解决。这样有利于消费,也有利于改善民生。
Premier Li: It is true that the growth of China’s domestic consumption has been declining for some time. Consumption and people’s well-being are like the two sides of the same coin. There needs to be a reasonable size of investment and increase in consumption. Although consumption is in a certain sense driven by increase in income, we should also recognize there are still obstacles that constrain the growth of domestic consumption. We must resolve these problems, as this will help boost consumption and improve people’s lives.
比如,这几年公路运输和出行不断增加,政府工作报告提出,两年内要基本取消省界高速公路收费站,大家都很赞成。这样做有利于解决拥堵问题,也有利于相关产业发展。这个目标我们要确保完成,同时我们要求有关部门力争提前实现。
We have seen an increase in travel by roads in recent years. In this year’s government work report, we set the goal that within two years, we will eliminate almost all expressway tollbooths at provincial borders. And that has proven to be a very popular policy initiative. It will not just ease traffic congestion, but also help with the growth of related industries and sectors. This goal must be achieved, and we have instructed the relevant departments to make their best efforts to achieve it ahead of schedule.
又比如,网络的提速降费,这几年我们连续在推进,这有利于消费者,也有利于产业的发展。今年要在过去的基础上移动网络流量资费再降低20%。我让有关方面测算,他们预计要让利1800亿元给消费者。我还要求他们必须做到可以“携号转网”,这样可以倒逼清理那些不明不白的套餐,让我们的企业改善服务,也促进产业本身提质升级。
In recent years, we have also worked to raise the speed and cut the rates of Internet services. That has benefited our consumers and boosted the growth of related industries. This year, the goal is to cut the rates for mobile internet services by another 20 percent, and that will involve some RMB180 billion yuan. At the same time, we require that it should be made possible for cellphone users to switch their telecommunications service carriers without changing their phone numbers. This will force the carriers to overhaul hidden charges and further improve their services. It will also help to upgrade the whole industry.
再比如,我们今年要再降低一般工商业电价10%,这不仅让工业企业受惠,商业企业也同样受益。现在电商有上千万家,6亿多消费用户,电商是24小时营业的,我去看过,他们说计算机耗电的费用压力不小,降低电价就可以让利给消费者,也可以促进产业发展,这是一举多得的事情。其实,消费当中还有很多制度性的堵点应当消除,或者说减少,这可以激发消费的潜力、市场的活力、社会的创造力。我们有关方面要眼中有活,做明白人、办贴心事。
We also plan to cut the prices of electricity for general industrial and commercial companies by an additional 10 percent this year. When it comes to e-commerce, there are up to 10 million online shops in China with over 600 million consumers, and e-commerce platforms run 24/7, and these computers consume a lot of electricity. So when electricity price is cut for these companies, it will also make it possible for our consumers to benefit more and transform and upgrade the related industries. It is thus an initiative with multiple benefits. We must endeavor to ease and even eliminate all these institutional barriers that constrain consumption. This will stimulate consumption, energize market players, and unlock public creativity. All government departments must be fully aware of the concerns of the people and do their best to meet our people’s expectations.
日本经济新闻社记者:中国是今年中日韩领导人会议主席国,您认为本次会议将重点讨论哪些问题?在当前世界范围内贸易保护主义抬头的背景下,我觉得中日韩自贸区(FTA)也将成为今年会议主题。您认为中日韩FTA什么时候能够签署?另外,对中方而言区域全面经济伙伴关系协定(RCEP)和中日韩FTA哪一个是优先考虑的选项?
Nikkei: China is the chair of the China-Japan-ROK summit mechanism this year. And Mr. Premier, what do you think will be the focus of the discussions at the summit? In the backdrop of growing trade protectionism in the international environment, my feeling is that the trilateral FTA may become a focus of discussion this year. When can this FTA be signed? And for China, between the RCEP and the China-Japan-ROK FTA, which is a higher priority?
李克强:今年是中日韩领导人会议机制成立20周年,中方担任主席国,我们会和日方、韩方共同商讨会议的议题。我认为,议题中应当包括推动中日韩自贸区建设,特别是在当前世界贸易保护主义抬头的大背景下,推动中日韩自贸区建设,达成一个全面、高水平、互惠的协定,对三方都有好处。虽然现在日本和韩国都对中国有比较大的贸易顺差,但是我们还是愿意进行平等的竞争,让消费者有更多选择。我相信,在这个过程中会实现优势互补,各方得益。至于说中日韩自贸区和RCEP哪一个先达成,我想那要看我们各方所做的努力了。不管是哪一个协议能够先达成,中方都乐见其成。
Premier Li: This year marks the 20th anniversary of the framework of leaders’ meeting among China, Japan and the ROK, and China will be the chair this year. We will discuss with Japan and the ROK and work out the agenda of this year’s summit. I think that the FTA development among the three countries should be put on the agenda of the leaders’ meeting. In particular, given the larger international environment of growing trade protectionism, the development of an FTA among these three countries with a comprehensive, high standard and mutually beneficial agreement is in the interest of all three countries. Although Japan and the ROK run pretty large surpluses in their trade with China, China is still prepared to compete with them on a level playing field so that consumers of the three countries will have more options. In this process, I believe it is important for us to draw on each other’s comparative strengths so that we can all stand to benefit. As to which one will be concluded first, the China-Japan-ROK FTA or RCEP, I think that depends on efforts made by the parties concerned. And whichever will be concluded first, China would welcome that.
我还想再说一下,中国不仅重视和东北亚国家的关系,比如刚才我回答了韩国记者的提问,表示中国作为负责任大国,会继续在推进朝鲜半岛无核化进程中发挥建设性作用,我们还重视和东南亚、和所有周边国家的合作。我们希望有一个稳定的周边环境,亲诚惠容。我们也愿意把“一带一路”倡议和有关国家的发展战略相对接。中国将坚定不移走和平发展道路,坚定不移做地区和世界和平与发展的维护者、贡献者。
As we come to the final question, let me add one point. China pays attention to its relations with Northeast Asian countries. Just now, I addressed a question from the ROK journalist saying that China will continue to play a constructive role as a major country for the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. But not just so, we also pay a great deal of attention to our relations with Southeast Asian countries and indeed all our neighbors. We hope to have a stable neighborhood and will continue to follow the principles of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness in developing relations with those countries. We will work with them to enhance the complementarity between China’s Belt and Road Initiative and their development plans. In a word, China will stay on the path of peaceful development and will continue to be a positive force and a contributor for regional and global peace and development.
记者会结束时,《南方都市报》记者问:今年“五一”还会放小长假吗?
At the end of the press conference, a journalist from Southern Metropolis Daily asked whether there would be a three-day national holiday for the May 1st Labor Day this year.
李克强答:我们会让有关部门抓紧研究,充分听取大家的意见。
Premier Li said, we would ask relevant departments to study this expeditiously, taking full account of the views of the general public.
记者会在人民大会堂三楼金色大厅举行,历时约150分钟,参加采访的中外记者1200余名。
The Press Conference, held at the Golden Hall on the third floor of the Great Hall of the People, lasted for about 150 minutes and was attended by over 1,200 Chinese and foreign journalists.