Shanghai to continue developing open hub status

High-rise buildings are seen in Shanghai. [Photo/VCG]

Shanghai will strengthen its role as an open hub and build itself into a world-class shipping and aviation center in the upcoming five years, Shanghai's Party secretary Li Qiang said when delivering a report at the opening ceremony of the ongoing 12th Communist Party of China Shanghai Congress on Saturday.

The municipality will continue to intensify its function as a window of China's opening-up, strive to develop high-end shipping services and create a high-level aviation industry cluster, Li said at the congress, which takes place every five years.

Li said Shanghai's vision of building itself into a socialist, modern international metropolis with global influence will be primarily fulfilled by 2035 and fully achieved by the middle of the century.

"Over the next five years, Shanghai's key tasks involve implementing key national strategies to build up a modern economic structure to promote high-quality economic development and improve its economic competitiveness, creativity and resistance against risks," Li said.

The city will move forward while enhancing its capability in allocating global resources and becoming a resource allocation center that connects, trades with and serves the entire world, he said.

Li said Shanghai will build an international digital capital with world influence, promote the coordination of industrial and digital industrialization and cohere the industrial and consumption internet.

In the next five years, the city aims for deeper integration into the global economic system and participation in global economic governance.

"We hope more Shanghai indexes and prices will become barometers of the world market, and more Shanghai standards and plans will be adopted as preferences for making international rules," Li said.

The congress, which will conclude on Monday, reviews Shanghai's developments over the past five years and will come up with agreements on visions and goals for the next five.

Members of the 12th CPC Shanghai Committee and Shanghai representatives to attend the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to be held in Beijing later this year will also be elected.