Chinanews.com, February 3rd, the Ministry of Commerce held a special press conference on the construction of pilot free trade zones during the 13th Five-Year Plan period.
At the meeting, Tang Wenhong, director of the Free Trade Zone and Port Department of the Ministry of Commerce, revealed that in 2020, a total of 393,000 new enterprises will be established in the first 18 pilot free trade zones, and the actual use of foreign capital will be 176.38 billion yuan, and the total import and export volume will be 4.7 trillion yuan. With less than four thousandths of the country's land area, it has achieved 17.6% of the country's foreign investment and 14.7% of imports and exports, which has played an important role in stabilizing foreign trade and foreign investment.
Data map: The first intercontinental (Yangpu-South Pacific-Australia) route of Hainan Free Trade Port was officially opened for operation, filling the gaps in maritime routes between Hainan and the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Australia.
The picture shows the aerial photography of the "Cloppenborg" ship docked at Yangpu Xiaochan Beach Wharf in charge of operating the route.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Luo Yunfei
When introducing the overall situation, Tang Wenhong pointed out that during the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Commerce, in conjunction with relevant localities and departments, will first further optimize the layout of the pilot free trade zones and establish 17 new pilot free trade zones, bringing the total to 21. The Shanghai Lingang New Area was added to expand the scope of the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone.
The second is to give greater autonomy to reforms. It has successively reported to the Party Central Committee and the State Council for approval and issuance of 23 overall plans, supporting the deepening of reform and innovation of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and supporting the entire oil and gas industry chain in the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone. In total, more than 2,800 reform pilot tasks were assigned to open development policies and measures.
The third is to promote high-level opening to the outside world. The special management measures for the negative list of foreign investment in the pilot free trade zone will be reduced from the initial 190 items to the 122 items at the beginning of the "13th Five-Year Plan" period to 30 items by 2020. The first Hainan Free Trade Zone There are only 27 items on the negative list of foreign investment access in the trading port.
The fourth is to continue to release the dividends of system innovation. During the "13th Five-Year Plan" period, the pilot free trade zone explored and formed 173 system innovation results to be replicated across the country, reaching a total of 260.
In addition, in order to coordinate the prevention and control of the epidemic and the high-quality development of the pilot free trade zone, the Ministry of Commerce instructs the pilot free trade zone to give play to the advantages of system innovation, solve the difficulties in employment, financing, and contract performance of enterprises, promote the resumption of work and production, and provide special support The 24 measures in the Hubei Pilot Free Trade Zone support the recovery after the epidemic.
Tang Wenhong pointed out that during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the Ministry of Commerce has improved Hainan’s business environment, enhanced Hainan’s international level, and gathered more market entities through the promotion of the island-wide free trade pilot zone. The port construction has laid a solid foundation.
In June last year, the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port" was officially released, and the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port was booming.
Tang Wenhong also pointed out that during the "Thirteenth Five-Year Plan" period, the respective trade pilot zones have boldly explored, made breakthroughs, and fully played the role of reform and opening up test grounds, laying a good foundation for China to build a new higher-level open economy and achieve high-quality development.
The main results have several aspects:
Promote historical changes in foreign investment management.
The national treatment plus negative list management system for foreign investment in the pilot free trade zone has been continuously improved, and finally promoted the introduction of the "Foreign Investment Law", realizing a major change in foreign investment management from "case-by-case approval" to an information reporting system.
It also took the lead in implementing reforms such as the overseas investment filing system, registered capital subscription system, "three certificates in one, one license and one code" in the country, which effectively improved the investment environment and stimulated the vitality of market entities.
The level of trade facilitation continued to lead the country.
The single window for international trade in the Pilot Free Trade Zone gradually covers more than 20 departments such as customs, taxation, and goods declaration, cross-border e-commerce and other fields. The level of construction far exceeds the requirements of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and has been extended to Nationwide.
A series of facilitation measures such as classified supervision of cargo status and autonomous declaration of origin have greatly improved the efficiency of customs clearance and reduced costs.
Financial opening and innovation serve the real economy with obvious effects.
The domestic and foreign currency integrated free trade account created in the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone has effectively opened up overseas financing channels for enterprises and reduced financing costs. It has been launched in Guangdong, Tianjin, Hainan and other places.
Measures such as the willingness to settle foreign exchange capital of foreign-funded enterprises and cross-border two-way RMB fund pool business have been promoted nationwide, making corporate financing more convenient, wider channels, and lower costs.
The reform of "decentralization, control and service" is at the forefront.
The reform of "separation of licenses and licenses" was first launched in the pilot free trade zone. After gradual exploration, it has achieved full coverage of enterprise-related matters set at the central level in 2019.
Relevant localities have delegated nearly 3,000 provincial-level administrative powers to the pilot free trade zone, initially established a credit-based interim and ex-post supervision system, strengthened open government affairs, and promoted "Internet + government affairs". The environment is further optimized.
The strategic role of serving the country has become increasingly prominent.
The respective pilot trade zones focus on strategic positioning, highlight the advantages of location resources, and continue to strengthen their functional role in serving major national strategies.
Shanghai has built a capital market service platform for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and has served more than 3,000 companies in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Guangdong promotes the soft connection of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao systems, and expands the application of policies such as rapid cross-border customs clearance to the Greater Bay Area.
The ability to lead high-quality development is gradually improved.
The Pilot Free Trade Zone will in-depth develop advantageous and characteristic industries, accelerate the accumulation of high-quality element resources, and gradually become a model and leader of high-quality development.
The economic level of Shanghai headquarters has continued to increase, Tianjin Aircraft Financial Leasing has become the world's second largest, Fujian Aircraft Maintenance and Jiangsu Biomedicine have all formed a certain scale.
Tang Wenhong stated that the Ministry of Commerce will be based on the new development stage, implement the new development concept, give full play to the pilot and leading role of the free trade port in the free trade zone, continue to give the free trade zone port greater reform autonomy, and break it through system innovation. Institutional barriers, docking with high-standard international economic and trade rules, continuously increasing stress testing of opening up, gathering domestic and international resource elements, promoting the open development of industrial chain supply chains, creating an important hub for domestic and international dual cycles, and promoting market connectivity and industrial integration , A virtuous circle that promotes innovation and connects rules, contributes more to the construction of a new development pattern.