Beijing, April 14 (www.chinanews.com) -- According to the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, during the 5th China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), Beijing held a themed day for promotion as the guest province/municipality of honor. Yao Ke, Deputy Director-General of the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, highlighted the city’s achievements over the past five years since the launch of the “two zones” initiative. As national-level platforms for opening up, the “two zones” have played a key role in promoting high-quality development through high-standard opening up, with significant contributions to enriching consumer supply, upgrading consumption, improving the consumption environment, and enhancing purchasing power. This fully demonstrates the innovation, appeal, and momentum of Beijing’s “two zones” policies.
Beijing is accelerating the formulation of its open economy development plan during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and is set to launch the 3.0 plan for greater openness in the services sector, along with the strategy for improving the Beijing Pilot Free Trade Zone.
According to Yao Ke, the sci-tech innovation industry has fostered new scenarios and business forms that boost consumption. Beijing is home to over 2,400 artificial intelligence (AI) companies, with core industry revenues surpassing RMB 300 billion. The city leads the nation with 105 registered large models. It has established an AI data training center and regulatory sandbox, taken the lead in piloting driverless ride-hailing services, and built the world’s first autonomous shuttle scenario connecting E-town and the Daxing Airport. In addition, new consumption hotspots have emerged in the city’s commercial aerospace cluster and the metaverse complex in the Shougang Park.
The upgrading of comprehensive bonded zones has removed key barriers to promoting consumption. The Beijing Zhongguancun Comprehensive Bonded Zone pioneered smart supervision without physical fencing, while the Beijing Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone established a fast-track review channel for rare disease drugs. The Daxing Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone has achieved world-class customs clearance efficiency. Beijing also introduced the nation’s first model that integrates duty-free, bonded, and cross-border e-commerce policies. A high-end consumer goods trading center was established to reduce circulation costs, contributing to a marked increase in import and export value in 2024.
Opening up policies related to foreign investment have unleashed new potential and momentum for international consumption. In 2024, over 2,000 new foreign-funded enterprises were established in Beijing, with a growth rate 6.5 percentage points above the national average. The city attracted the largest single foreign investment in China’s medical sector and became home to the country’s first pilot programs for foreign-invested value-added telecom services and gene therapy enterprises, further diversifying the consumer supply. Meanwhile, relaxed restrictions on foreign-funded schools have contributed to an “international-like” living environment for expatriates, directly boosting consumption in education and related sectors.
The “Beijing Service” initiative has fostered a high-quality and convenient consumer environment. The approval period for large events has been shortened by 80%, and drug review times have been cut from 200 days to 60. Key commercial areas now offer full coverage of foreign currency exchange services, and the “BEIJINGPASS” card integrates functions across transportation, culture, tourism, and commerce. Around-the-clock port visa services and improved payment facilitation measures further enhance the consumer experience.
