On the morning of October 9, 2020, Beijing held a mobilization meeting for the building of the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector and China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone (“two zones”). Cai Qi, Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee, stressed that the building of the “two zones” is a milestone in the city's reform and opening-up and will bring strategic opportunities. We should closely follow the instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Global Trade in Services Summit of the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services; endeavor to strengthen our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position in both the CPC Central Committee and the Party as a whole, and respect the CPC Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We need to seize the opportunities to advance the building of the “two zones” up to high standard in an endeavor to establish a “Beijing model” of reform and opening-up and contribute to the new development paradigm. Chen Jining, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, Li Wei, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress, and Ji Lin, Chairman of the CPPCC Beijing Municipal Committee, attended the event.

Cai pointed out that to set up an national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector and a pilot free trade zone featuring scientific and technological innovation, opening-up of the services sector and digital economy is a strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council with a view to forming the new development paradigm featuring dual circulation, in which domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other, with the domestic circulation as the mainstay and to building a socialist capital city for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. This reflects their high attention to the capital city and injects enormous vitality into its development in the new era. The endeavors to build the “two zones” will consolidate the strategic positioning of the capital city and enable it to better serve the overall work of the Party and the country, leverage its resources and advances to promote high-quality development, and give full play to its leading role to advance the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.  

He stressed that we should focus on key areas of work, let them play a guiding role and strive for new progress in the building of the “two zones”.

We should keep a global vision. We should draw upon international experience in the building of free trade zones, step up efforts to explore opening-up policies and mechanisms with international competitiveness and strengthen the ability to bring in international high-end factors and resources; keep in alignment with international rules, and gain a bigger say for China's services sector. We should make explorations in legislation, government services, intellectual property protection and other fields so as to create a world-class business environment that is market-oriented and law-based.

We should highlight the characteristics of Beijing. Vigorous efforts should be made to boost sci-tech innovation, greater openness of the services sector and the development of the digital economy. Specifically, we should push ahead with reforms in granting researchers IP rights to promote commercialization of research findings and in providing more technology transfer tax incentives, encourage the development of makerspaces and start-up sites, and work to create an enabling innovation ecosystem. We should further stimulate the vitality of modern services industries such as finance, technology, information, commerce and culture to better serve the development of the real economy. We should strive to get a head start in the digital economy, support the development of emerging industries such as intelligent manufacturing and integrated circuit, foster new patterns and models such as online education, online healthcare, online consumption and telecommuting, and promote in-depth fusion of the digital economy and the real economy. We should do a good job in building an international information industry and digital trade port and ensure the success of prestigious events including the China International Fair for Trade in Services, Zhongguancun Forum, and Financial Street Forum.

We should strengthen institutional innovation. We should strive for a batch of institutional innovation outcomes that are ground-breaking, dynamic and effective, develop a negative list for cross-border trade in services, and explore new measures for trade and investment liberalization and facilitation such as cross-border e-commerce. We should optimize the supply of factors for opening up the services sector and facilitate cross-border flows of funds, data and people. We should take an inclusive and prudent attitude towards new policies and strengthen interim and post-event supervision. We should improve the “industry + park” collaborative development mode, deepen reforms to streamline administration and delegate power, improve regulation and upgrade services, and guide enterprises to participate in institutional innovation.

We should do a good job in the construction of demonstration zones. In combination with the development of the “three science cities and one hi-tech area”, the Sci-Tech Innovation Zone should vigorously develop emerging industries such as next-generation information technology, biology and healthcare, and sci-tech services and set an example in digital economy, venture capital, and sci-tech reform. The International Business Service Zones should highlight their respective characteristics. The CBD and Jinzhan International Cooperation Zone should scale up innovation in cross-border finance, specialized services and international cooperation in digital economy; Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the area of the new China International Exhibition Center should focus on developing airport economy, convention and exhibition industry, and digital trade to promote integrated development of the airport, industries and the city; the Canal Business District and Zhangjiawan Design Town should strive to become a highland for financial innovation, high-end business services and urban design in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. The High-End Industry Zone should be connected with the Sci-Tech Innovation Zone to develop innovation-driven industry clusters with international competitiveness. It is also important to boost the development of the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone. The Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Opening up the Services Sector should highlight the development of Financial Street, Lize, Tongzhou Cultural Tourism Zone and other key parks and be connected with the three areas of the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone. In addition, we should coordinate the policies concerning the “two zones” and strengthen top-level design in management modes and work mechanisms to forge synergy.

It is important to promote coordinated opening-up of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. We should improve the planning and development of the city's municipal administrative center and the Beijing Daxing International Airport Economic Zone to foster new drivers for high-quality development. We should boost innovation in cross-region industrial cooperation and guide the distribution of innovation chains, supply chains and industry chains in Tianjin and Hebei. We should push for a unified open market, further facilitate regional customs clearance and bolster integrated development of free trade zones in the region. 

Greater openness calls for higher attention to security. We should take a holistic view of national security, improve the risk prevention and control system for a more open economy, implement the requirements of the foreign investment security review system, optimize the financial risk monitoring and warning mechanism, and improve the tiered and category-based data security protection system.

Cai stressed the importance of strengthening leadership to ensure that all tasks are fulfilled. Specifically, the city will set up a leading group and special working groups for the “two zones”. The office of the leading group is responsible for coordination, the working groups and relevant departments should strengthen collaboration, and districts should assign dedicated personnel to take charge of the tasks. We will strengthen communication and coordination and report major matters to the central government in a timely manner. We will strengthen promotion and policy interpretations to engage enterprises and improve our international influence. We will use our best endeavors to make sure that all tasks are implemented down to earth, strictly observe the deadlines, break down tasks and fulfill them according to schedule, and clarify responsibility at every level. We will increase funding for the building of the “two zones”, carry out strict supervision and assessment, strengthen innovation of management systems and mechanisms, and improve the competence of our personnel.

Leaders from the relevant departments of the central government and Beijing municipal government attended the meeting. Persons in charge of the relevant municipal departments, districts, areas of the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone, and key development zones and parks participated via video link.

(Reporters: Qi Mengzhu and Liu Feifei; photographer: Sun Yue)