Chinese vice premier calls for developing Inner Mongolia as gateway for opening up to north

HOHHOT, July 17 -- Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng has urged efforts to accelerate the development of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in north China as an important gateway for China's opening up to the north during an inspection tour in this region from Tuesday to Thursday this week.

Also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, He called for high-quality development of the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, stronger momentum for port-related economic growth, and deeper international economic and trade cooperation.

During his inspection of the pilot free trade zone and other areas, He learned about customs clearance at railway and highway ports, the operation of China-Europe freight trains, and the development of international logistics centers at land ports.

He called for deepening bilateral and multilateral economic and trade cooperation, and advancing Belt and Road cooperation and the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor.

Inner Mongolia should speed up the development of a high-level connectivity network, actively promote cross-border e-commerce and logistics, and further upgrade the corridor economy into hub and industrial economies, He said.

He also urged continued efforts to promote green and smart transformation, accelerate the upgrading of industries including nonferrous metals and equipment manufacturing, and explore coordinated development of computing power and electricity.