Beijing's "two zones" initiative is about to celebrate its third anniversary. What has been achieved over the past three years? On August 21, Wang Dongtang, Director General of the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services of the Ministry of Commerce gave an overview at a press conference held by the State Council Information Office. According to him, over the past three years, Beijing has adhered to its strategic positioning designated by the central government and made significant progress in its work. As of now, nearly 98% of the 251 tasks for the "two zones" development approved by the State Council have commenced, 10 special reform programs with around 500 specific measures have been launched, and 40 innovative cases have been promoted nationwide.
The "two zones" initiative represents a significant mission and opportunity entrusted to Beijing by the country. As the only city featuring both a national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the service sector and a pilot free trade zone, Beijing has firmly upheld its strategic positioning and has made positive progress in various areas. Over the past three years, while pursuing opening-up with higher standards, Beijing has been fostering a world-class business environment and a sound ecosystem for industrial development. In the 2022 evaluation of the national integrated demonstration zone for greater openness in the service sector, Beijing ranked first, highlighting its role as a testing ground for institutional innovation and a new engine for high-quality development.
First, Beijing has prioritized technological innovation by accelerating the integration of science and technology innovation factors. It has taken the lead in streamlining over 80% of conventional procedures and ensuring approval right after registration for high-tech enterprises. The first Zhongguancun Comprehensive Bonded Zone characterized by R&D innovation has been established. In addition, Beijing implemented China's first comprehensive service pilot project for stock options and built a platform for private equity transfer. The city has also issued criteria for the recognition of top-notch foreign professionals and updated the catalog of recognized overseas professional qualifications to attract international resources.
Second, Beijing has highlighted the opening-up of the service sector to attract new businesses and modes of operation. The city has launched the first pilot program for cross-border e-commerce sales of pharmaceutical products, fostered a synergy among duty-free, bonded, and cross-border e-commerce policies, and initiated an online auction for cultural works on bonded display. Moreover, Beijing has established a permanent representative office for foreign patent agencies, filling a previously existing gap. Meanwhile, a number of landmark projects have been launched in Beijing, including the first foreign-funded securities company, and an insurance asset management company for alternative investments.
Third, Beijing has attached importance to the digital economy and redoubled efforts to explore rules and systems. The city has issued the "20 Measures for the Development of the Data Sector" to set up the first data asset registration center and cross-border data escrow platform in China, as well as systems for the registration and trading of data assets. Besides, the Regulations on the Registration of Data Intellectual Property Rights of Beijing Municipality (Trial) has been adopted, accompanied by a registration platform for data intellectual property rights. Beijing has also released the first case of assessment for outbound data transfer and the standard contract for outbound transfer of personal information. In the first half of 2023, the added value of Beijing's digital economy accounted for 44.5% of the city's GDP.
Fourth, Beijing has boosted Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei synergy for the coordinated development of industrial parks in the region. Focusing on the opening-up in various sectors and industrial parks, Beijing accelerated the development of 20 key industrial parks (clusters), which have become major platforms and windows for institutional innovation. In particular, based on the coordinated opening-up and development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the city has launched 179 items in four batches that enjoy the same administrative services in the pilot free trade zones of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei. Additionally, Beijing and Hebei have worked together to build China's first cross-province Daxing Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone, a pioneer project in creating an integrated model for port management, which features "one system, one tally, one inspection, and one delivery".
Driven by the "two zones" initiative, from 2020 to June 2023, Beijing's total paid-in foreign investment has amounted to 55.14 billion dollars, accounting for 9% of the country's total. Notably, the paid-in foreign investment of the service sector reached 96.5%, which provides valuable experience for the high-standard opening-up in the sector nationwide.
(Reporter: Ma Jing)
