A plenary conference on Zhejiang's opening-up takes place in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province on May 9. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

East China's Zhejiang province will make greater efforts to "create a new landscape in all-around opening-up", Party Secretary Che Jun remarked at a plenary conference in Hangzhou on May 9.

Che said that led by the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhejiang will expand its opening-up to the world in the new era.

Since the beginning of China's reform and opening-up, Zhejiang's foreign trade has seen robust growth. In 2017, the total import and export value hit 2.56 trillion yuan ($402.32 billion) with a year-on-year increase of 15.3 percent, ranking fourth nationwide.

The year of 2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up. Che suggested the province further implement the decisions and plans concerning "bringing in" and "going out", and play a more active role in developing the Belt and Road Initiative.

By 2020, Zhejiang will build a modern logistics hub, an international cooperation highland for scientific and technological innovation, a new trade center, a financial center and a base for international cultural exchanges, and by 2035, the province's global influence in these sectors will be strongly enhanced, according to the Party secretary.

Che attached great importance to the opening-up work in his address. He urged all parties to promote the development of platforms, projects and working mechanisms.

The Russian engineer Sitlivy Dmitry who now works for Juhua Group in Quzhou, shared his experience in Zhejiang over the last two decades on behalf of foreign experts.

"Over the past years, I've been working very closely with engineers in Zhejiang and have witnessed the rapid development of the province," Dmitry recalled, saying Zhejiang is a well-developed, open, inclusive and dynamic place in East China and the future of the province will be brighter.

The cities, counties and companies that perform well in international exchanges and cooperation are commended at the conference in Hangzhou on May 9. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]