The Shanghai delegation to the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, holds a group meeting on March 6 to deliberate on the government work report. [Photo/WeChat account “shanghaifabu”]
The Shanghai delegation to the third session of the 14th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, held a group meeting on March 6 to deliberate on the government work report.
The meeting, which lasted two hours and 20 minutes, was open to Chinese and overseas media, drawing more than 100 journalists from over 80 media outlets, including 31 overseas media organizations.
During the Q&A session, journalists raised questions on a wide range of topics, including the business environment, consumption, and the silver economy.
Here are the key takeaways from the session.
Financial center
Bloomberg: What challenges and opportunities does Shanghai face in building itself into “five international centers”, especially an international financial center, amid US-China competition and global economic uncertainty?
Gong Zheng, mayor of Shanghai:
Amid a rapidly evolving global landscape, Shanghai’s “five centers” campaign presents both challenges and opportunities. However, the opportunities outweigh the challenges, and the city remains confident in achieving its goals.
Shanghai will accelerate the implementation of major policies and key projects to reinforce and enhance the core functions of the “five centers.”
The city will strive to meet the highest-possible international standards, driving forward ambitious reforms and further opening-up as it seeks to establish a globally competitive policy and institutional framework.
For instance, in order to become an international financial center, the city will continue to facilitate the launch of major foreign-funded financial projects and steadily advance innovation and pilot programs in areas such as offshore trade, catastrophe bonds, and cross-border data flows.
Business environment
South China Morning Post: In its first meeting after Spring Festival, Shanghai once again prioritized the business environment with the launch of the Business Environment 8.0 Action Plan. What drives Shanghai’s continuous efforts to optimize its business environment, and how will the 8.0 action plan promote business growth?
Wu Wei, executive vice-mayor of Shanghai:
By the end of last year, Shanghai was home to around 2.9 million businesses—that’s 117 businesses per 1,000 people.
The city also hosted 1,016 regional headquarters of multinational companies, 591 foreign research and development centers, and 555 foreign financial institutions.
These achievements themselves serve as a key driver behind Shanghai’s continued efforts to optimize its business environment.
With the launch of the 8.0 action plan, Shanghai will continue to build a world-class business environment by:
• Aligning with World Bank standards to enhance global competitiveness
• Enhancing government services to better support enterprises
• Optimizing business supervision and inspections under the principle of “minimal interference”
• Strengthening grassroots business infrastructure to ensure a solid foundation for development
• Fostering a pro-business social climate by encouraging businesses and the public to evaluate government performance and provide recommendations for further improvements
Consumption
Economic Daily: Boosting consumption is a key priority this year, with various measures being rolled out across the country. Shanghai emphasizes the integration of culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions. What has been the impact of this approach, and what additional measures or recommendations could further boost consumption?
Quan Heng, Party secretary of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences:
Last year, Shanghai highlighted the need to accelerate the integration of culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions, which has already yielded positive results.
The Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix generated 1.4 billion yuan in direct economic benefits in just four days, excluding the spillover effect on consumption.
Since its opening in July, the On Top of the Pyramid: The Civilization of Ancient Egypt exhibition (hosted by Shanghai Museum) has attracted 1.6 million visitors and generated 400 million yuan in revenue, with nearly half coming from cultural and creative industries and related spending.
To further promote consumption this year, Shanghai should:
– Enhance product and service quality in the culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibition sectors.
– Expand international tourism by opening the door wider to overseas visitors.
– Foster innovation through the integration of cultural and technological empowerment, introducing new products and experiences.
Pudong New Area
People’s Daily: What new explorations and initiatives will Shanghai undertake in Pudong New Area this year to accelerate the implementation of high-standard economic and trade rules, test systems and experiences, and contribute to more groundbreaking reforms and leading opening-up achievements?
Gu Jun, director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission:
As 2025 is the 35th anniversary of Pudong New Area’s opening-up and development, the district will focus on the following key areas:
1. Strengthening independent innovation
Building world-class industrial clusters in areas such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence.
2. Driving systemic reform and integration
Developing and implementing special measures to increase market access; Optimizing market access for new industries and new types of businesses.
3. Expanding high-level opening-up
Supporting the Lin-gang Special Area in conducting more rigorous stress testing;
Exploring further opening-up in areas such as the internet, education, and culture;
Continuing to enhance the functionality of the “Silk Road E-commerce” cooperation pilot zone;
Promoting the pilot launch of the Eastern Hub International Business Cooperation Zone;
Promoting the development of international data centers.
4. Enhancing global resource allocation
Accelerating the construction of the Shanghai International Reinsurance Registration and Trading Center;
Promoting the construction of the Yangshan Green Ship Registry Port.
5. Strengthening governance
Improving “one-stop government services”;
Improving the fairness and quality of public services.
University majors
China Media Group (CMG): There has been considerable discussion about adjusting university majors in Shanghai. I’d like to ask a deputy from a university for their perspective on this matter.
Mei Bing, Party Secretary of East China Normal University:
The need to adjust university majors is more than just a widely discussed topic – it’s also a global trend. Universities in Shanghai are steadily working to optimize their academic programs in response.
The fundamental mission of universities is to educate and cultivate talent, empowering future generations to drive economic and social development.
To align with current and future needs, universities are refining their academic offerings—phasing out less relevant majors while introducing new, forward-looking disciplines that cater to emerging industries and evolving demands.
Silver economy
ThePaper.cn: What are your suggestions on the development of the aging services sector in Shanghai as a megacity?
Zhou Yanfang, director of China Pacific Insurance (Group) Co Ltd, Strategic Research Center:
With 5.68 million people aged 60 and above, Shanghai urgently needs to develop elderly care and the silver economy. The city should:
– Develop such services as medical care, elderly care, and safety for the elderly. This necessitates the integration of government and societal resources.
– Develop age-friendly smart products such as smart glasses, hearing aids, smart mattresses, smart diapers, and rehabilitation and care robots.
– Accelerate the formation of one-stop service networks for the elderly within communities. Whether it’s dining, shopping, socializing, entertainment, rehabilitation, nursing, or medication, services should be readily available within any given community.
– Drawing inspiration from the Lin-gang Special Area’s talent annuity plan, the city might consider establishing a talent annuity scheme that grants priority to talent engagement for foreign-invested enterprises and high-tech firms.
Yangtze River Delta
Wenhui Daily: The integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta is an important national strategy. How can Shanghai effectively lead the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Delta region?
Gu Jun, director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission:
Efforts should be made to attract more institutions and talent to Shanghai, enhancing its resource allocation capabilities.
Efforts should also be made to foster collaboration among strategic scientific and technological forces in the region, promote basic research cooperation, and facilitate the sharing of scientific research data.
Shanghai should work to become a multimodal transport hub for the Yangtze River Economic Belt and make its shipping digitalization platforms more cross-regional.
Shanghai should also deepen the joint protection and governance of cross-boundary water bodies.
The city should jointly promote the construction of offshore wind power projects and develop service platforms for the green and low-carbon supply chain.
Shanghai should develop a one-hour inter-city rail network.
Source: “shanghaifabu” WeChat account
,https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20250308/037e0de0b1d74db7b44d08050d46f4ab.html