BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China will take the initiative to open wider in the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao said Friday.

Focusing on the service sector, efforts will be made to expand market access and areas of openness from 2026 to 2030, Wang told a press conference, citing the Recommendations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development, which was adopted by the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee that concluded on Thursday.

The country will expand pilot programs to open up in value-added telecommunications, biotechnology, and wholly foreign-owned hospitals, while increasing openness in the education and cultural sectors in an orderly manner, Wang said.

China will accelerate the advancement of regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements and expand its network of high-standard free trade zones, Wang added.

Regarding trade, China plans to enhance trade in intermediate goods and green trade, improve the management system for the negative list for cross-border services trade, and steadily increase openness in digital trade, according to Wang.

China will also intensify efforts to increase imports to meet the needs of industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as the people's demand for a better life, Wang said.

To create new advantages in attracting foreign investment, China will foster a transparent, stable, and predictable institutional environment, he said.

"We will accelerate the development of new quality productive forces, promote the growth of industries such as artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, and new energy, and turn China's vast market into a global testing ground, application hub, and profit center for innovation," Wang said.

Stressing that the Belt and Road Initiative is not a "solo performance" but a "chorus," Wang said China will deepen pragmatic cooperation with related countries in trade, investment, industry, and cultural exchanges, while expanding collaboration in green development, digital economy, and AI.

"Moving forward, whether it is opening up or attracting investment, we will avoid zero-sum approaches that harm others for personal gain," Wang said. "Instead, we will focus on mutually beneficial and shared development." Enditem