(Economic Observation) Where is the "high" of China's 21 pilot free trade zones?
China News Service, Beijing, September 21st, title: Where is the "high" of China's 21 pilot free trade zones?
Author Chen Jing
China has set up 21 pilot free trade zones to "test the waters" for the future of reform, opening up and economic development.
The pilot free trade zone is not a policy depression, but a new height of reform and opening up.
What are the aspects of this "high"?
At the first meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia Global Economic Development and Security Forum to be held from October 18th to 20th, topics such as the construction of a pilot free trade zone and global ecological security will be included in the discussion.
Recently, in an interview with China News Service, Zhao Jinping, a researcher at the Free Trade Pilot Zone Construction Research Center of the Counselor’s Office of the State Council, said in an exclusive interview with China News Agency that the free trade pilot zone has As the new highland of China's reform and opening up, "high" is mainly reflected in the advancement of system innovation for reform and opening up. At present, the 21 pilot free trade zones include the five basic positioning of reform and innovation.
Five basic positionings of the Pilot Free Trade Zone
Zhao Jinping said that since the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone was officially listed on September 29, 2013, there have been 21 pilot free trade zones approved by the Central Government and the State Council, and the areas involved have gradually expanded from Shanghai at that time to the eastern coast. The coverage of the region, the central and western regions and Yanbian region has been further expanded.
As a new highland of China's reform and opening up, the pilot free trade zone is mainly embodied in the first trial of reform and opening up system innovation, and after accumulating successful experience, it can be replicated and promoted on a larger scale.
At present, the 21 pilot free trade zones in the country include the five basic positioning of reform and innovation:
One is to increase the reform of government functions.
Since the establishment of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, the streamlining of administration and decentralization and the reform of government functions have been continuously promoted, and many successful experiences have been replicated and promoted nationwide.
The second is to increase the reform of the foreign investment management system.
Today, China is deeply implementing the pre-access national treatment plus negative list management system.
The third is to increase the transformation of trade development mode and the reform of supervision mode.
With the deepening of the commodity structure, the development of trade in goods has played an increasingly important role in driving the Chinese economy and even stabilizing the global economy. With the spread of the new crown epidemic, global trade in services has been greatly impacted.
However, the decline in China's service trade exports is relatively stable, only about 1.4%, and its share in global service trade exports has also increased significantly.
The fourth is to increase financial opening up and innovation and reform.
In particular, the establishment of the Hainan Pilot Free Trade Zone in 2018 and the subsequent Hainan Free Trade Port have taken the reform of the multi-functional free trade zone account as an important part of financial opening and innovation.
The fifth is to strengthen the reform of the rule of law.
When the pilot free trade zone promotes institutional innovation, it needs to improve its own legal environment to provide a legal basis and legal guarantee for such innovation.
"Single Window" escorts trade development
Many of the experiments and practices in the Pilot Free Trade Zone have become experiences and practices that can be replicated and promoted throughout the country.
Zhao Jinping said that up to now, at the national level, the pilot free trade zone has explored and formed 278 institutional innovations to be replicated and promoted throughout the country or in specific regions.
All provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions have also made institutional innovations at the local level using the institutional advantages of the free trade areas and local free trade pilot zones.
He mentioned two examples.
First, some quantitative indicators reflect the remarkable results achieved in the reform of the foreign investment management system.
At present, China's 21 pilot free trade zones account for only four thousandths of the country's land area, and the actual use of foreign capital accounts for the country's proportion of each year, and by 2020, this proportion has risen to 17%.
Second, "single windows" are blooming everywhere.
Through pioneering trials in different pilot free trade zones and exploring experience, at present, the trade single window system is not only popular in various free trade zones, but even in many cities across the country, providing enterprises with a convenient customs clearance environment and conditions.
Zhao Jinping specifically pointed out that during a survey of the Fujian Free Trade Zone in 2016, it was found that the single window in the Xiamen area, especially the single window for foreign trade, has achieved remarkable results.
Now, the benefits of single window companies in other parts of the country have generally improved significantly, and procedures and documents have gradually achieved uniformity and standardization; the public service areas involved in the single window have also expanded from the initial import and export business to investment, taxation and many other fields.
Block the six major risks outside the country
Judging from the current experience and trends, what risks in the development of the 21 pilot free trade zones should be vigilant?
Zhao Jinping believes: “Only when you can control it, you can let go.” As a new highland for China's opening up, the Pilot Free Trade Zone can only establish a complete, efficient and solid risk prevention system to ensure the safety of economic and social development and open the door. To drive bigger.
He believes that there are six risks worthy of vigilance.
One is the risk involved in the field of national security.
The second is the risks involved in the field of public health safety.
The third is the risks involved in the fields of biosafety and ecological environment safety.
The fourth is the risks involved in the field of biological products.
Fifth, it involves risks in the financial sector-this is also the area where risks are most prone to occur.
It is necessary to adopt the principle of macro-prudence, strengthen the ability to identify risks, and prevent fluctuations in foreign financial markets from directly spreading to the country, which in turn will have a greater impact on the stability of the financial market.
Sixth, it involves risks in the field of information security.
While opening up the cross-border flow of data, it is necessary to ensure that this flow is promoted under the premise of orderly and safety, and the risk of information dissemination that will bring negative social impacts is blocked outside the country.
(over)