A new company is successfully registered and established within one day; information of different departments is filled on the same online platform in parallel without face time; an enterprise can choose from the financial products of more than 20 financial institutions at one venue...
It is such reform measures that have put Beijing on top of China's business environment ranking list for two years in a row and in the 28th position in World Bank's 2019 business rankings, a big leap forward on the World Bank report. According to Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, the city continuously improved its business environment during the 13th Five-year Plan period, erected multiple pillars of relevant legislation, and took a series of steps to make government services more efficient and convenient. As a result, Beijing is one of the first cities in China to usher in the "one" era of business environment. Steps taken by Beijing are as follows:
One day: administrative approvals are completed within one day
All the formalities required for starting a business can be completed within one day – this is something unimaginable in the past, but now a reality in Beijing.
Last year, Beijing Daily Photography Co., Ltd.applied online for starting the business and completed the application procedures for business license and official seal on "E Chuang Tong",an online business registration platform. After the applications were approved by the regulator, a company employee arrived at the registration center at about 10:00 in the morning and obtained the license and seal in merely nine minutes.
Nowadays, Beijing offers one-stop, free and immediate services for business registration. "We have reduced the materials required, integrated relevant affairs, and implemented intelligent information-filling and autonomous review and approval, and shared data and coordinated work among different departments. These measures have largely improved the examination and approval efficiency." According to an official at Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, the "E Chuang Tong" platform enables general-purpose businesses to apply for access and operation simultaneously. The market regulator can approve the application and issue the electronic business license on the same day, the social securities for employees are automatically registered when the enterprise is founded, and invoice is issued immediately. New businesses can be registered and established within one day.
Besides streamlining the procedures for starting a business, Beijing has also adopted reform measures in other fields. This year, it has reformed the business system again by launching the notification and commitment system for the registration of market entities, which relaxes the registration restrictions and streamlines review process for new business applicants.
In this way, new businesses only need to provide their name, scope of business, premises, and other information on "E Chuang Tong" and commit themselves to compliance with relevant requirements, and the applications would be approved right away. This would improve the efficiency by about 60%. By the end of September, more than 90,000 new businesses have obtained their business license through the notification and commitment system.
One network: applicants can complete all procedures online
"It can be finished online in only 30 minutes?" Both sides of a deal found this incredible, but that's true. In that short period of time, representatives from two enterprises completed, without meeting each other, the registration for the transfer of non-residential property, the first of its kind in Beijing.
In April this year, the two firms at their respective offices filled in such information as transaction, taxation and registration on the online platform using their "electronic business license" to apply for real estate transfer.
Now, enterprises don’t have to bother themselves to visit different departments thanks to the free flow and sharing of data among them, and behind all this is the "real estate registration + blockchain" reform at work.
"We now implement the notification and commitment system for the transaction of non-residential property between enterprises, and the whole process is conducted online." An official told us that the real estate service hall and online service platform are fully and comprehensively aligned, so that enterprises don't have to hand in any paper materials. In the past, parties involved had to have their ID verified and sign the application form for real estate registration onsite, but all these are conducted online now, so is the payment of tax and registration fee. As procedures are moved from offline to online, enterprises do not have to run from pillar to post anymore.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many government departments in Beijing have created new ways of service to adopt rigorous pandemic prevention and control measures and ensure convenient government services at the same time. It is learned that 64 municipal departments have joined the online government service center, and 965 service items can be handled online, accounting for 97% of the total as opposed to 90% in 2019.
One-stop service: multiple departments provide services at one venue
A few months ago, rent reduction counters were added in the government service halls at both municipal and district level. "The enterprise only needs to submit an application and leaves the rest to the government personnel." Many business owners describe the setup of the counter as a considerate and convenient move. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are under tremendous pressure due to the pandemic, but they can now enjoy one-stop services thanks to the rent cut policy.
Such "one-stop services" are also offered in other fields. The coordination among different regions, departments and organizations has greatly facilitated and streamlined the examination and approval process and relevant services.
Beijing's initial loan center, the first of its kind in China, has been in operation for over half a year at Liuliqiao. The first group of 28 financial institutions have put their financial products of various types here for enterprises to choose from, like in a supermarket, and 27 government departments, covering industry and commerce, social security and medical insurance, have shared data and provided information for financial institutions regarding the grant of credit loan. By the end of September, the center had approved 3,777 loans, totaling RMB 15.38 billion.
China's first creditor's right confirmation center located in Haidian impels enterprises at the core of the supply chain to confirm the receivables of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, so as to solve the latter's shortage of collateral and pledges. By the end of September, 44 receivables had been reviewed and confirmed involving RMB 100 million in total.
SMESERVICE, the first online financial service platform in China targeting micro and small enterprises, has come online, so the target customers can choose from a number of financing services without leaving the office. By the end of September, the platform had received financing demands for RMB 120.86 billion, granted credits of RMB 28.8 billion, and released RMB 15.76 billion loans.
"There is no end to improving the business environment," said an official at Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform. Next, Beijing will step up the reform to further improve the business environment and provide more opportunities of innovation and entrepreneurship for various market entities. It will delegate government power, give full play to the market's decisive role in resource allocation, and apply new technologies in government service on a greater depth and breadth, so that enterprises can truly benefit from the fruits of reform.
(Reporter: Cao Zheng)
