China News Service, Beijing, August 19 (Reporter Li Xiaoyu) China recently announced that it will comprehensively deepen the pilot service trade innovation development in 28 provinces, cities (regions) including Beijing. Xian Guoyi, Director of the Service and Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce of China, stated on the 19th that the current round of opening-up pilots are much more open than the previous two rounds in terms of openness, policy strength and reform depth, and will create broader market space for domestic and foreign service providers.
Xian Guoyi said at a press conference held that day that expanding opening up is a key task of this round of pilot projects. The government has proposed 26 opening measures, including allowing foreign institutions to independently organize foreign-related economic and technological exhibitions, supporting cooperation with overseas institutions in the development of cross-border commercial medical insurance products, etc.; the pilot program allows qualified Hong Kong and Macao professionals to work in Hainan, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, etc. Pilot areas provide engineering consulting services, carry out pilot projects for mutual recognition of professional service qualifications with Hong Kong and Macau, explore the integration of foreign work permits and work-type residence permits, and facilitate foreigners’ employment in China; encourage pilot areas to strengthen international cooperation in service trade, such as actively promoting education International cooperation in the fields of, law and finance, and the construction of international service trade cooperation parks.
Xian Guoyi said that some of these opening-up measures will be promoted in all pilot areas, and some will be tested first in some pilot areas with conditions. After evaluation, the qualified ones can be promoted to all pilot areas and even the whole country.
He said that comprehensively deepening the pilot program and expanding the opening up will create broader market space for service providers at home and abroad, and will also provide a broader space for China to deepen service trade cooperation with countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” to serve the world. New momentum is injected into trade development.
At present, China's service trade is generally stable. According to official data, the decline in China's service exports in the first half of the year was 19.5 percentage points lower than that of imports, leading to a 46.1% drop in the service trade deficit, a year-on-year decrease of 344 billion yuan. (Finish)