Opinion

Strengthening the rule of law in building a unified national market

Progress has been made in building China's unified national market with improvement in scale and an agglomeration effect, thanks to coordinated policy measures. However, it is also important to recognize that further advancing the unified national market still faces practical challenges.

To this end, efforts should be made in addressing shortcomings in laws and regulations, applying rule-of-law thinking and methods to strengthen foundational rules, and enhancing policy credibility and implementation capacity, so as to provide legal safeguards for building such a market.

It is also essential to advance the rule of law and ensure its coordinated alignment with the building of the unified national market. To set boundaries for government action under the rule of law can facilitate the "visible hand" to play a more constructive role in market development. It will create a fairer and more dynamic market environment and establish a stable regulatory framework that gives businesses the confidence to invest and innovate.

Policy

1. China's State Council General Office on September 30 released a notice on implementing domestic product standards and related policies for government procurement, clarifying that products manufactured by domestic and foreign-invested enterprises within China will equally qualify for government procurement preferences targeting domestic products, provided they meet relevant regulations.

2. A plan aiming to keep the country's machinery industry growing steadily in 2025-2026 was jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other government departments. According to the plan, China expects the industry's operating revenue to reach RMB 10 trillion from 2025 to 2026, with an average annual increase of over 3.5 percent in operating revenue. Efforts will be made to foster a number of specialty industrial clusters of competitive small and medium-sized enterprises and industrial clusters with international competitiveness.

3. A plan to promote a steady growth of China's automotive industry in 2025-2026 was jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and seven other government departments. The plan outlines measures to accelerate new energy vehicles market expansion and stimulate domestic demand. The also focuses on technological innovation to drive consumer demand and standard upgrades to improve product quality.

Data

1. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Education, and five other ministries recently jointly selected the first batch of 10 national rural crafts masters for promotional recognition, aiming to help consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation.

2. The national trade promotion system issued in August a total of 23.54 percent more certificates, including certificates of origin, compared to the same period last year. This significant growth reflects the steady expansion of China's foreign trade.

3. China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) said on September 28 that the total length of China's submarine oil and gas pipelines has exceeded 10,000 km, placing China at the international forefront, signifying a comprehensive leap in the country's engineering technology and equipment capabilities in this sector. It represents a milestone in accelerating the development of marine oil and gas resources and enhancing the country's self-sufficiency in marine energy.

4. Data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing on September 29 show that from January to August this year, the total national social logistics amounted to nearly RMB 230 trillion, with scale maintaining stable expansion and structure continuously being optimized and upgraded.

5. Data recently released by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade show that in 2024, the council organized 2,249 delegations to 102 countries and regions for inspections and negotiations, equivalent to an average of six corporate delegations going abroad for business talks every day.

6. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China is expected to add 340,000 square kilometers of soil erosion control area, achieving a soil and water conservation rate of 73 percent, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.

7. The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing announced on October 5 that the China Commodity Price Index for September was 111.9 points, up 0.2 percent month-on-month, marking the fifth consecutive month-on-month growth. This indicates optimistic business expectations and continued expansion in production and operations.

8. Statistics recently released by the General Administration of Customs show that in the first eight months of this year, the total import and export value of the Yangtze River Delta region reached RMB 11.07 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 5.5 percent, accounting for 37.4 percent of the national total import and export value and contributing 58 percent to the growth of national imports and exports.

9. As of 18:40 on October 7, the total box office of films screened during the 2025 National Day holiday, including presales, had exceeded RMB 1.7 billion, according to data from online platforms.

10. China recorded 888 million domestic tourist trips during the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, up 123 million from the seven-day National Day holiday in 2024, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on October 9. Domestic tourism spending reached RMB 809 billion (about 113.8 billion U.S. dollars), up RMB 108 billion year on year, according to the ministry.

(Source: Economic Daily)