President Xi backs stronger property rights, entrepreneur protection 12.5m

Shenzhen will strengthen property rights and protection of entrepreneurs, China’s President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday while marking the establishment of the country’s first economic zone in the southern city four decades earlier.

In his speech, Xi praised the city for “achieving miracles” and said it “must carry out development with the courage to break the ground and to strive to be the first.” A testing ground for the reforms that have spurred China’s highpaced growth over the past four decades, Xi touted Shenzhen as symbolic of China’s emergence as a global economic power.

The Shenzhen government will get more leeway to pursue reforms and become a “model city for a strong socialist country,” Xi said. On Sunday, the government published plans to increase foreign investment in the city, encourage foreign talent and reduce red tape in sectors including energy and telecoms. Xi also alluded to “turbulence” in the global economy from rising protectionism and unilateralism, and emphasised that China would pursue a “dual circulation” model that relies more on domestic consumption, while attracting foreign investment.

The speech in Shenzhen followed visits to nearby cities Chaozhou and Shantou, where Xi emphasised industrial upgrades and innovation. Carrie Lam, the leader of the adjacent territory of Hong Kong, attended the speech, after announcing on Monday that she was postponing an annual

Shenzhen has a population of 12.5 million.

policy address scheduled for that day, as did Ho Iat Seng, the chief executive of Macau.

Xi’s speech took place in the Qianhai district, which is positioning itself as a hub for crossborder services for the Greater Bay Area, a region that includes Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in China’s Guangdong province, including Shenzhen.