What kind of demonstration zone do we need for the cooperative opening of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone?
What's the point? How to build? What the experts say
Recently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Outline of the Construction Plan for the Chengdu-Chongqing Double-City Economic Circle", which has aroused widespread public concern.
The reporter noticed that the term "free trade pilot zone" appeared many times in the "Planning Outline."
For example, it is clear that “breakthroughs have been made in the construction of major open platforms such as Chongqing and Sichuan Free Trade Pilot Zones, the level of coordinated opening up has been significantly improved, the inland opening strategic highlands have basically been completed, and the supporting role of the joint construction of the “Belt and Road” has been significantly improved” as a dual-city economy One of the development goals of circle construction.
At the same time, the specific task of "constructing a demonstration zone for the cooperative opening of Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone" was also proposed.
How to understand the significance of the pilot free trade zone in advancing the construction of a dual-city economic circle?
How to improve the development level of the pilot free trade zone, especially the construction of a demonstration zone for the cooperative opening of the Sichuan-Chongqing pilot free trade zone?
Yang Jirui, Dean of Chengyu Economic Zone Development Research Institute, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics:
Promote cooperation between the two parties with the awareness of "EMUs"
In Yang Jirui’s view, the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone’s collaborative opening demonstration zone should be a benchmark for domestic and foreign pilot free trade zones, especially the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone and Hainan. The pilot free trade zone in advanced regions such as the free trade port will create a “quasi-free trade port” innovative and open platform. Therefore, its significance to the twin-city economic circle is very significant.
He said that the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone, which is located in the interior, has unique advantages in ties and cooperation with South Asia and Southeast Asia.
With the signing of the RCEP last year, which will be implemented around 2023, Sichuan and Chongqing will become more prominent in the opening of the south.
At the same time, China has submitted an application to join the CPTPP, and the Sichuan-Chongqing region will play a very important role in China's integration into this diversified open platform in the future.
"The Sichuan-Chongqing region is a major dividend for the international market, and the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone can also use the international market to better promote regional opening up." Yang Jirui said.
It is worth noting that, as the fourth pole of China's economic growth, the Chengdu-Chongqing dual-city economic circle has an important location advantage compared to the other three urban agglomerations, which means that the market has more room for maneuver.
Yang Jirui said that the four-way expansion of the market has no “cross-section” and has a unique location advantage in driving the western market. Therefore, in the construction of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone Cooperative Opening Demonstration Zone, it is possible to try first and open inland areas. On the new platform, assume the national mission, which reflects the responsibility of our Sichuan-Chongqing region in opening up.
The significance is so great, how to promote the construction of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone for the collaborative opening of the demonstration zone?
Yang Jirui said that at present, Sichuan and Chongqing should submit the overall plan for the construction of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone as a cooperative opening demonstration zone as soon as possible in accordance with the "Planning Outline", and strive to obtain national authorization and approval.
"It is necessary to delineate some regions to take precedence, to make greater efforts to promote the construction of pilot areas for coordinated reforms, to strengthen the precedents of the adjacent areas of Sichuan and Chongqing, and to better utilize the system and location advantages of the cooperative opening demonstration zone of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone." He also specifically mentioned that it is necessary to learn from benchmarks, learn from the free trade pilot zones and free trade ports in advanced developed areas in China, and learn from their advanced systems and mechanisms.
In addition, Yang Jirui also stated that Sichuan and Chongqing must establish a benign competition and cooperation relationship based on cooperation and coordination, pay attention to empathy, promote cooperation between the two sides with the awareness of "EMUs", and jointly test the free trade of Sichuan and Chongqing. The system and mechanism of the cooperative opening of the demonstration zone have been demonstrated well.
In terms of hardware, we must further strengthen interconnection, especially make good use of the three international airports, encrypt international and regional routes, and continue to explore the sixth and seventh freedom rights on the basis of landing the fifth freedom rights.
Sheng Yi, deputy head of the industrial group of the Sichuan Provincial Decision-Making Committee:
In terms of trade liberalization
There are still institutional barriers to break through
"The Chengdu-Chongqing double-city economic circle wants to build a new height of reform and opening up. What is the starting point? Building channels is a way, promoting investment, bringing in and going out is a way, and promoting commodity exports and imports is also a way." Sheng Yi, deputy head of the industrial group of the Sichuan Provincial Decision Advisory Committee, talked about his views.
But in his opinion, what is needed most for the inland regions now is to build a more open system, so that the inland economy can be deeply integrated into the international economic system, and the inland free trade zone is responsible for this. A feature.
Sheng Yi said that Chengdu should explore how to better connect with the international economic and trade system through the pilot free trade zone, better promote the introduction of investment and go global, and promote the expansion of the scale of import and export trade.
At the same time, another important function of the pilot free trade zone is to carry out institutional innovation, "including how to better gather international advanced elements, especially elements such as scientific and technological talents. These are the current Chengdu-Chongqing area twin-city economic circle construction urgently needs to be resolved or Said some issues that urgently need a breakthrough."
Speaking of suggestions for the cooperative opening of the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone, Sheng Yi said that at present, the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone has obtained a lot of good experience in the preliminary exploration, and some practices have been promoted and replicated throughout the country. It is necessary to further improve some of the early explorations, and to deepen and implement good practices with greater efforts to further amplify the system dividends."
At the same time, Chengdu should also fully absorb and learn from the experience of domestic and foreign free trade pilot zones.
For example, in the eastern part of the country, each pilot zone is now actively exploring some innovative ideas, practices, policies and measures. In particular, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone Lingang New Area and the Hainan Free Trade Port are exploring the liberalization of the trade system. Some new breakthroughs have been made.
"As an inland free trade pilot zone, I think it has done a good job in promoting trade facilitation, achieving the shortest time, the highest efficiency, and the best service. However, in terms of trade liberalization, there are still some institutional barriers that need to be broken through. "Sheng Yi mentioned that, for example, the free entry and exit of talents, the free entry and exit of funds, and the limited openness of data all require in-depth exploration to find the most suitable institutional innovation measures for opening up in our region.
At the same time, Chengdu should further build a new pattern and promote the need to promote dual cycles, and do a good job of connecting with industrial development and regional development, and better serve the industrial transformation and upgrading, the improvement of technological innovation capabilities, the construction of metropolitan areas, and central cities. To speed up the development of the latter, find ideas, tasks, and paths for system innovation in the pilot free trade zone.
Liu Junwei, Director of the Institute of Regional Economics, Chengdu Economic Development Research Institute:
Take the initiative to take the initiative to bring the innovative achievements of the Pilot Free Trade Zone
Promotion and application in Chengyu area
The "Planning Outline" clearly stated that the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone should be built as a demonstration zone for collaborative opening.
In the view of Liu Junwei, director of the Regional Economic Research Institute of Chengdu Economic Development Research Institute, this is of great significance to the promotion of the construction of the twin-city economic circle.
“On the one hand, it is conducive to the construction of a unified market in the twin-city economic circle, and promotes the free flow of factors including logistics, human flow, capital flow, and information flow in the Chengdu-Chongqing area.” Liu Junwei also said that this is also conducive to the “two centers and two places”. "In this strategic positioning, the construction of the highland of reform and opening up will give better play to the pilot free trade zone itself, leading the role of high-level opening up, and bringing in foreign capital more efficiently in the future of Chengdu and Chongqing, promoting enterprises to go out and participate in international competition. It is of great significance to achieve high-quality development of international trade.
In addition, giving play to the advantages of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in the development of institutional innovation is conducive to the construction of the Twin-City Economic Circle into a technological innovation center with national influence, attracting the concentration of domestic and international advanced elements, enhancing the innovation capabilities of the entire region, and better leading the way High-quality development and open development throughout the western region.
As far as Chengdu is concerned, how should we promote the construction of the Sichuan-Chongqing Free Trade Pilot Zone for the cooperative opening of demonstration zones?
Liu Junwei made three suggestions.
One is to further refine and clarify where the Sichuan-Chongqing Pilot Free Trade Zone Coordinated Opening Demonstration Zone is located and the focus of action reforms.
For example, in Chengdu, we can consider setting up a pilot free trade zone as a demonstration zone for collaborative opening.
For another example, collaborative reforms and innovations can be carried out in the financial system or other industrial policies, so as to provide a platform for future institutional innovations in the entire region and to carry out comparative experiments between Chengdu and Chongqing.
The second is to give full play to the advantages of the pilot free trade zone, relying on this platform to actively strive for the landing of some pilot projects or platforms.
For example, the implementation of innovative facilities such as national large-scale scientific installations, key laboratories, and national-level scientific and technological research and development centers in science and technology, construction of various special import and export ports, international investment and trade platforms, and tax-free consumption complexes, as well as in the capital market , Strive to introduce branches or platforms of exchanges including the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Shanghai Stock Exchange, Beijing Stock Exchange and other exchanges, and promote the implementation of some capital and property rights trading markets to improve the allocation of capital factors in Sichuan and Chongqing.
The third is to promote the common prosperity of the region, not only focus on the interaction between Chengdu and Chongqing, but also promote the development of surrounding cities, and actively promote and apply the innovative results of the pilot free trade zone in Chengdu and Chongqing.
It can be considered that on the basis of the existing pilot free trade zones, a batch of pilot pilot zones for collaborative reform will be built in Suining, Mianyang and other places, so as to further enhance the convenience of foreign investment and trade in the entire region, and better lead the development of the region. The development of the Chongqing region has achieved the goal of building the twin-city economic circle into an important growth pole and a new source of power for driving the country’s high-quality development.
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News reporter Zou Yue