Three major free trade zones, Sun version 2.0 reform plan, three major focuses to know.
BEIJING, May 25 (Reporter Li Jinlei) On the 24th, the State Council issued three plans to further deepen the reform and opening up of Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zones. What do the three schemes have in common? What are the characteristics and emphases of each scheme? What is the significance to the overall situation of China’s reform and opening up? Zhongxin. com interprets it for you.
Sun 2.0 Reform Plan of Three Free Trade Zones
Recently, the State Council issued the Plan for Further Deepening the Reform and Opening-up of China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the Plan for Further Deepening the Reform and Opening-up of China (Tianjin) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Plan for Further Deepening the Reform and Opening-up of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
The reporter learned that China has successively approved three batches of free trade zones, and the number of free trade zones has reached 11, forming a "1+3+7" pilot pattern. Among them, the first is the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, the second batch includes three free trade zones in Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian, and the third batch includes seven free trade zones in Liaoning, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan and Shaanxi.
The three places that introduced the plan belong to the second batch of free trade zones. Bai Ming, deputy director of the International Market Research Institute of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce, told the reporter of Zhongxin. com that the introduction of the plan marked that the reform and opening up of the Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zones entered the 2.0 stage. Experiments that have no foundation or conditions in the early stage have the conditions for implementation as time matures, which also means that the future development of the three free trade zones will reach a new level and will export more experiences that can be popularized and replicated.
Data Map: On April 21, 2015, the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone held a listing ceremony in Nansha District, Guangzhou. Chen Qiren photo
Free trade zones will have greater autonomy in reform.
In the plans of the three places, "giving the Pilot Free Trade Zone greater autonomy in reform" is a common sentence.
In terms of specific related measures, Guangdong’s plan proposes to decentralize the provincial management authority delegated to prefecture-level and above cities to the Pilot Free Trade Zone according to law.
Tianjin’s plan proposes to delegate the examination and approval of international express business (agency) to Tianjin Postal Administration. Pilot implementation of the filing management of imported non-special purpose cosmetics, and the management authority was delegated to Tianjin.
Fujian’s plan proposes to adjust and improve the decentralization method of provincial management authority, and promote the cancellation, decentralization or entrustment of the whole chain of related and similar categories of examination and approval matters.
Each of the three schemes has its own characteristics and emphasis.
It can be seen from the combing plan that the three places have formulated pilot tasks with their own characteristics and emphasis according to their own characteristics.
The characteristic goal of Guangdong Free Trade Zone is to build "two zones and one hub", that is, to build a pioneer zone of new open economic system, a high-level gateway hub for opening to the outside world and a Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area cooperation demonstration zone.
"Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao" is a key word that frequently appears in Guangdong programs. Guangdong’s plan puts forward 18 specific measures to further promote the liberalization of service trade between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Such as:
— — When conditions are ripe, the customs clearance mode of "cooperative inspection, one-time release" and "entry inspection and exit monitoring" will be implemented at Zhuhai-Macao port.
— — Vigorously promote the development of cruise tourism and implement the 15-day visa-free policy for international cruise inbound foreign tour groups on a pilot basis. Further promote the free travel of yachts in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and further improve the level of yacht customs clearance facilitation.
Data Map: Tianjin Free Trade Zone Comprehensive Service Hall. Zhongxin. com reporter Li Jinlei
The goal of Tianjin Free Trade Zone is to strive to build the Pilot Free Trade Zone into a high-level opening-up platform serving the construction of the Belt and Road and the coordinated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.
The plan puts forward 16 specific measures, such as innovating the market allocation mechanism of factors, promoting the incubation of cutting-edge emerging technologies and improving the mechanism of coordinated development of services, among which there are many heavy measures, such as:
— — Under the condition of legal compliance, foreign-funded financial institutions are allowed to set up foreign-funded banks in the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and private capital and foreign-funded financial institutions are allowed to jointly set up Sino-foreign joint venture banks in the Pilot Free Trade Zone.
— — Support the establishment of wholly foreign-owned or holding enterprises in the Pilot Free Trade Zone to carry out branch line and general aircraft maintenance business, and allow the establishment of wholly foreign-owned performance brokerage institutions in the Pilot Free Trade Zone to provide services to the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
Data Map: Fuzhou District Management Committee of China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone is located in Mawei District, Fuzhou City. Photo by Long Min
The goal of Fujian Free Trade Zone is to build a comprehensive reform pilot zone integrating openness and innovation, deepen a demonstration zone for cross-strait economic cooperation and open a new highland for countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road in the 21st century.
The plan puts forward 21 specific measures, such as creating a high-standard international business environment, promoting the standardization and transparency of government services and strengthening financial cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan, such as:
— — Taiwan compatriots who support employment and living in the Pilot Free Trade Zone enjoy the same treatment as mainland residents in terms of medical care, financing, house purchase and accommodation, and Taiwan Province enterprises enjoy the same treatment as mainland enterprises in terms of research funding applications.
— — Promote Fuzhou and countries and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to expand air traffic rights arrangements, improve the flight support capacity of Fuzhou Airport, and attract airlines from countries and regions along the route to open routes that stop in Fuzhou. Attract consulates or visa centers from countries and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to Fuzhou.
Aerial photo of Nansha Port Han Jianquan
Interpretation: It will promote the overall situation of China’s reform and opening up
What is the significance of further deepening the reform and opening-up plan in the three places?
In Bai Ming’s view, with the implementation of the plan, there are more and more experimental contents, which are more and more universal. The free trade zone will better play the role of "experimental field", create more valuable experience, and obtain more institutional innovations that can be replicated and popularized, which will help to improve the level of reform and opening up in China.
The plan also emphasizes that Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian should grasp the basic orientation, strengthen organization and implementation, strengthen mission responsibility, improve working mechanism, give full play to the enthusiasm of local and departmental departments, and systematically promote the implementation of reform pilot tasks. It is necessary to summarize and evaluate the implementation effect of the pilot tasks in a timely manner, strengthen the integration of reform systems, and strive to achieve more institutional innovations that can be replicated and promoted to better serve the overall situation of reform and opening up in the country. (End)