CCTV News (Focus Interview): This year is the first year of the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. As a strategic choice for China's reform and opening up, the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port is very interesting. So how will Hainan Free Trade Port be built? What is the difference between it and the Pilot Free Trade Zone? What are the highlights? What are the advantages of system design and policy? And how will a new system and policy system be established in steps and stages? The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port", which made comprehensive arrangements and specific arrangements for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port.
This overall plan is in accordance with the spirit of the important speech of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the General Assembly celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Special Economic Zone of Hainan Province on April 13, 2018. Requirements. The plan clarifies that the implementation scope of Hainan Free Trade Port is the whole island of Hainan Island, and comprehensively elaborate from the four aspects of overall requirements, system design, step-by-step arrangement and organization and implementation.
So, what is the difference between building a free trade port and the current free trade pilot zone? Where is the place for innovation?
The opening of the "first line" mentioned here refers to the opening of the management link between the Hainan Free Trade Port and the national customs border line. In addition to the list of import-restricted goods, the vast majority of imported goods are tax-exempt in all aspects of extremely simple management, which facilitates global logistics and talent exchanges.
After the release of the "first line", the "second line" control refers to the establishment of a new management link between the Hainan Free Trade Port and other parts of the country. For example, when importing goods into the Mainland from the Hainan Free Trade Port, procedures must be followed in accordance with import regulations, taxes must be paid in accordance with regulations, and other management must also be carried out in accordance with domestic regulations, etc. Experts believe that this is a new management model that is not only conducive to the development of a free trade port, but also conforms to China's national conditions.
Experts pointed out that the first trial of the free trade pilot zone can be replicated and promoted on a large scale after forming experience. The characteristics of the free trade port are the high degree of economic liberalization and the exemption of customs duties on imported goods. This determines that the Hainan Free Trade Port, which is built according to international practice, cannot be copied and promoted in China as a whole. Of course, the fact that it cannot be copied as a whole does not mean that some of its practices and experiences cannot be learned from.
Experts believe that not only corporate debt issuance, but also the opening up of many aspects of domestic development today are facing bottlenecks. A higher level of opening up is needed to continue to advance. As in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone established at the beginning of the reform and opening up, there is a distinct Flags and windows, the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port is such flags and windows in the new era. As pointed out in the overall plan: building a free trade port in Hainan is a fundamental requirement for promoting high-level opening and establishing a new open economic system; it is an urgent need to deepen market-oriented reforms and create a business environment that is ruled by law, internationalized, and convenient Need; is a strategic choice to implement the new development concept, promote high-quality development, and build a modern economic system; it is a practical action to support economic globalization and build a community with a shared future for mankind.
According to the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech, the plan puts forward the basic principles of Hainan Free Trade Port Construction: learning from international experience, embodying Chinese characteristics, conforming to Hainan's positioning, highlighting reform and innovation, and adhering to the bottom line thinking.
The overall plan is clear that the development goal of Hainan Free Trade Port is to initially establish a free trade port policy system focused on free trade facilities and free investment facilities by 2025; by 2035, it will become a new highland of China's open economy; by the middle of this century To build a high-level free trade port with international influence. In order to achieve these goals, the overall plan proposes the five major facilities of free trade facilitation, free investment facilitation, free flow facilitation of cross-border capital, free entry and exit of personnel, free travel and transportation, and safe and orderly flow of data. Experts believe that this is an unprecedented innovation.
The plan also proposes a series of policies and measures for building a modern industrial system, taxation system, social governance, rule of law system, and risk prevention and control system.
Not only is the design of the tax reduction and exemption system innovative, there are also new methods that can be operated immediately in the overall plan. From the date of the plan's release, 15% of income tax will be levied on the encouraged industrial enterprises registered in the substantive operation of Hainan Free Trade Port; the overseas direct investment of Hainan's tourism, modern service, and high-tech industrial enterprises before 2025 Investment income is exempted from corporate income tax; high-end and insufficiency talents working in the free trade port are exempted from the actual personal income tax burden of more than 15%. In addition, for the tax-free shopping quota for outlying islands, the current 30,000 yuan per person per year, the plan clearly to be relaxed to 100,000 yuan per person per year.
Regarding the rule of law system and social governance, the expressions in the overall plan are also striking.
Against the backdrop of the current severe global epidemic of new pneumonia and the complex and ever-changing international situation, the overall plan also proposes to establish a risk prevention and control system to prevent and resolve major issues in trade, investment, finance, data flow, ecology, and public health. risk.
The release of the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hainan Free Trade Port" has portrayed a beautiful blueprint for reform and opening up in the new era. In addition to what has been mentioned in the program, there are many new initiatives and new systems, such as the implementation of a cross-border service trade negative list system, the implementation of the market access commitment and entry system, support for the development of real estate investment trust funds, and encourage the Hainan Free Trade Port to Global debt issuance, and multiple entry visa exemption policies for foreigners, etc. These new systems and policy arrangements have laid the foundation for the construction of Hainan Free Trade Port. In the future, Hainan Free Trade Port will become a clear banner and an important opening portal that will lead China's new era of opening to the outside world. It will also promote the formation of a new pattern of high-level opening , Play an important role in supporting economic globalization and building a community with a shared future for mankind.