China-Singapore Jingwei Client, September 22 (Song Yafen) A few days ago, the State Council issued the overall plan for the Beijing, Hunan, and Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zones and the expansion plan for the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone.
So far, China’s pilot free trade zones (hereinafter referred to as "free trade zones") have increased from 18 to 21.
On the whole, each major free trade zone has different regional characteristics and positioning, and each has its own development focus.
For example, the Beijing Free Trade Zone includes three major areas: technological innovation, international business services, and high-end industries. The Hunan Free Trade Zone focuses on building a world-class advanced manufacturing cluster, connecting the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Non-advanced areas for in-depth economic and trade cooperation and inland opening up new heights.
So, in a general sense, what benefits will the construction of the free trade zone bring to enterprises and ordinary people?
In this regard, Zhao Jinping, chief economist of the National Research Institute and former director of the Department of Foreign Economic Research of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said in an interview with the Sino-Singapore Jingwei Client: "The free trade zone is a new height for reform and opening up, and some market-oriented reforms. Measures and measures to expand opening to the outside world will be implemented first, so as far as enterprises are concerned, there will be more opportunities for enterprises to invest in the free trade zone."
Zhao Jinping further explained that, of course, expanding opening up not only involves opening up to the outside world, but also involves opening up to the inside, and it is also an investment opportunity for domestic enterprises.
In addition, the free trade zone itself is at the forefront of the country in terms of changing government functions and improving the efficiency of public services. Therefore, whether it is enterprise investment or various economic activities, the system cost is relatively low.
Moreover, the efficiency of government services is relatively high, which can reduce costs and enhance the competitiveness of corporate products in the domestic and international markets.
Based on some special policies of the free trade zone for attracting talent employment, enterprises in the free trade zone also have more opportunities to attract high-end talents.
Bai Ming, deputy director of the International Market Research Institute of the Ministry of Commerce Research Institute, also believes that for enterprises, the construction of a free trade zone will save them some transaction costs, and some public services provided by the government are more economical than the service system built by the enterprises themselves. ,higher efficiency.
Trade facilitation improves efficiency first, and the more the threshold of liberalization is passed, the more opportunities for tax exemption and the lighter tax burden.
Zhao Jinping also pointed out that the construction of the free trade zone is also helpful to enterprises in terms of industrial support.
“The scope of the free trade zone is generally also an industrial cluster. One of the advantages of the industrial cluster is that it is easy to provide supporting industries for various enterprises. The relevant upstream and downstream supply chains can be realized in the zone, so from the integration of the enterprise supply chain From the point of view, it also has better conditions."
For ordinary people, the benefits brought by the construction of the free trade zone are mainly concentrated in employment and consumption.
Zhao Jinping believes that because the industrial agglomeration effect of the free trade zone is relatively obvious, for ordinary people, it has increased the opportunities for employment and choice.
Free trade zones generally include some bonded areas, comprehensive bonded areas, and even the development of parallel imports. It is more convenient for consumers to obtain various overseas consumer goods.
For example, in the opportunity of e-commerce, the cost of purchasing some overseas mail-order products is relatively low, and the sources and types of goods are relatively complete, which can provide consumers with more choices.
Bai Ming also agreed with this.
"The construction of a free trade zone will revitalize the economy and create more job opportunities, and there will be more opportunities for some senior employees. In addition, some products do not need to be purchased abroad, and can be purchased directly in the free trade zone stores. , Which is equivalent to retail imports.” (Zhongxin Jingwei APP)
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