PACIFIC BASIN ECONOMIC COUNCIL
MAIN PAGE | EVENTS & PROGRAMS | 2001 | MID-TERM MEETING | FEATURED BIOGRAPHIES | SHI GUANGSHENG

C H I N E S E   T R A D E   M I N I S T E R Shi Guangsheng Minister of Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation People's Republic of China

SHI GUANGSHENG, China’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, will be addressing delegates at the annual PBEC Mid-term Meeting (MTM) in Shanghai. Minister Shi will speak at a dinner on Tuesday, October 16 at the St. Regis Shanghai Hotel. Heading the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) since 1998, Minister Shi introduced measures to boost exports, a key engine of China’s growth. To capitalize on the economic opportunities of the Internet, he opened the China Market Web site, a so-called “never-ending trade fair” that links users to Chinese sources for 8,000 industrial products. In addition, he introduced a series of measures to expand domestic demand and attract more foreign capital. Due to his efforts, China is attracting greater foreign investment in petrochemical and construction industries, as well as in tourism, air and water transportation, domestic commerce, accounting, and legal consulting services, and has launched finance and telecom pilot projects. As a proponent of China’s WTO entry (having led the Chinese delegation to the WTO meeting in Seattle in 1999), Minister Shi worked hard to conclude agreements with the United States, Canada, and other countries. In the next few years, Shi will participate in the reform of sectors such as finance, insurance, telecommunications, foreign trade, commerce and tourism, and continue to improve the overall investment environment. Minister Shi graduated from the Department of Foreign Trade and Economics of the Beijing Institute of Foreign Trade in 1965, and joined China’s National Metals and Minerals Import and Export Corporation in 1974. He later served as commissioner and assistant minister of Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade (MOFERT).