(Yicai) Dec. 13 -- China has for the first time explicitly proposed expanding the independent and unilateral opening-up of its economy next year, regardless of whether other countries reciprocate, according to an announcement made after the government’s annual two-day Central Economic Work Conference.

The conference, which sets the national economic agenda for the year ahead and which concluded yesterday, identified nine key priorities including “expanding high-level opening-up, stabilizing foreign trade, and stabilizing foreign investment.” High-level opening-up refers to a strategic policy to promote reform and development.

Expanding both independent and unilateral opening-up is a new concept, Wei Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, told Yicai. “Previously, the emphasis was more on bilateral openness. Now, regardless of whether others open up or not, China will continue to open up,” he said. “The door to openness will only get wider.”

This means China aims to accelerate alignment with high-standard international economic and trade rules, Wei said, including joining trade pacts such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, while also expanding openness in line with its  own pace of modernization.

Next year, China will step up its efforts to join the CPTPP and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, aiming to create a world-class business environment that is market-oriented, based on the rule of law, and internationally aligned, said Wang Qing, chief macro analyst at Golden Credit Rating. These initiatives will help attract more foreign investment and establish a stable institutional framework for foreign trade, Wang noted.

While expanding domestic demand is the top priority for 2025, steadying foreign trade will also remain a key focus for task next year's economic work.

Overseas market conditions remain a key issue for China's exports, Wei said. With the development of cross-border e-commerce, exporters need to boost their warehousing, logistic networks, and express delivery services abroad, as well as enhance services covering financial payments, product checks, and returns, he added.

In the first 11 months of this year, China's foreign trade in goods rose 4.9 percent to CNY39.79 trillion (USD5.47 trillion) from a year earlier, with exports and imports up 6.7 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Editors: Shi Yi, Futura Costaglione