In recent years, facing the complex international and domestic situations, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has made major decisions and arrangements to promote high-quality trade development, which is an inevitable requirement to vigorously promote the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and a major event related to the overall economic and social development. The report of the Twentieth National Congress of the Communist Party of China further clearly stated that "promoting high-level opening up", "steadily expanding the institutional opening up of rules, regulations, management, standards, etc.", promoting the optimization and upgrading of trade in goods, innovating the development mechanism of trade in services, developing digital trade, and accelerating the building of a trade power ".
To promote high-level opening up, it is necessary to create a market-oriented, legalized and internationalized first-class business environment and provide a broader development space for foreign investment. The business environment is an important manifestation of the country's economic soft power. We must strive to create a market-oriented, legalized and international business environment, promote high-level institutional openness, build a high-level open platform for connectivity, strengthen global industrial cooperation, improve the modernization of the industrial chain supply chain, and further enhance the attraction to foreign capital. In 2020, China's actual use of foreign capital will reach 144.4 billion US dollars, surpassing the United States as the world's largest foreign capital attraction country in 2020; In 2021, China's foreign investment will break the trillion yuan mark for the first time, reaching 1.1 trillion yuan, creating a new historical record.
Adhere to the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and sharing, and firmly promote the high-quality development of the "the Belt and Road". In the eight years from 2013, when China proposed the "the Belt and Road" initiative to 2021, the annual trade volume between China and countries along the Belt and Road has increased from $1.04 trillion to $1.8 trillion, an increase of 73%, making gratifying achievements. At present, the great changes in the world that have not occurred in a century are accelerating the evolution, the trend of anti globalization is rising, and unilateralism and protectionism are rising significantly. We must continue to plan for the high-quality development of the "the Belt and Road", adhere to the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and sharing, expand economic and trade cooperation with countries along the Belt and Road, promote facility connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people to people connectivity to new heights of development, contribute Chinese wisdom and solutions to the construction of economic globalization, break the barriers of unilateralism, trade protectionism, and anti globalization trends, and actively carry out bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation, We will continue to promote high-level opening up, build a platform for international exchanges and cooperation, and achieve the goal of building a trade power.
We will implement the strategy of upgrading pilot free trade zones and build a global network of high standard free trade zones. The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that "we should implement a more proactive opening strategy and build a global network of high standard free trade zones". The Free Trade Zone is an important platform for effective use of "two markets" and "two resources", and also an important carrier for promoting domestic and international double circulation. Taking the free trade zone as a starting point can effectively promote the integration and development of domestic and international industrial chains and promote the high-quality development of regional economy. In 2013, China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the first pilot free trade zone in China, was established. By 2022, China has set up 21 pilot free trade zones in batches, totaling 67 zones, to accelerate the domestic and international double cycle and provide strong support for China to build a trade power. In 2021, the scale of import and export of China's goods trade will exceed 6 trillion US dollars for the first time, in which the import and export of the pilot free trade zone will grow by 26.4%, and the trade in the free trade zone will develop rapidly.
Deeply participate in the global industrial division and cooperation, and orderly promote the internationalization of RMB. In the face of the dramatic evolution of the global industrial division of labor and the continuous downward pressure of the global economy, we must balance development and security, adhere to the strategic basis of expanding domestic demand, fully tap the potential of the domestic market, promote the virtuous circle of the domestic market, take the domestic big circle as the main body, give play to the radiation and driving role of domestic super markets, and promote the mutual promotion of domestic and international double cycles. Adhere to high-level opening up, deeply participate in the division of labor in the international industrial chain supply chain, and accelerate the construction of an international cooperation and exchange platform. We must further deepen the reform of the financial system, accurately formulate and implement scientific and effective monetary policies, and steadily promote the internationalization of the RMB. The Report on RMB Internationalization in 2022 released by the People's Bank of China shows that the RMB internationalization index is on the rise as a whole. In May 2022, the International Monetary Fund will increase the weight of RMB in the special drawing rights from 10.29% to 12.28%. The degree of free use of RMB will be improved, and the pace of RMB internationalization will be accelerated.
We will optimize the trade structure, foster new forms of business and new driving forces, and improve the quality and efficiency of trade development. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the high-quality development of China's foreign trade has made historic progress. only by further promoting high-level opening up, accelerating innovation drive, stimulating market vitality and creativity, promoting the orderly and free flow of domestic and international market elements, and cultivating new business forms and new drivers, can we effectively improve the quality and efficiency of trade development. We should constantly explore the innovative path of service trade, promote the transformation and upgrading of service trade, expand the scale of China's service trade, boost the leapfrog development of service trade, promote the digital transformation of service trade, optimize the trade structure, and improve the quality and efficiency of trade development.
Develop the digital economy, accelerate the digital transformation, and promote the development and cooperation of international digital trade. The report of the 20th CPC National Congress pointed out that we should develop the digital economy, promote the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, and create a digital industrial cluster with international competitiveness. Digital economy plays an important role in the digital transformation of enterprises. In the process of promoting high-level opening up, China attaches great importance to the development of the digital economy. According to the data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the proportion of China's digital economy in GDP has risen from 21.6% to 39.8%, ranking second in the world for several years. The data shows that in 2021, the scale of China's digital economy will reach 45.5 trillion yuan, and the digital economy has played a crucial role in promoting the development of the national economy.
A new grand plan for development has been drawn. Standing at a new historical starting point, China will continue to fully implement the new development concept, promote the building of a trade power in a high-level opening up, promote the building of an open world economy, and bring a brighter future to global development.