Circular of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Further Promoting the Reform and Opening up of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone
Circular of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Further Promoting the Reform and Opening up of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone
Circular of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Further Promoting the Reform and Opening up of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone
Guo Fa [2018] No.13
May 4, 2018
People's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, all ministries and commissions of the State Council, and institutions directly affiliated to the State Council,
The Plan for Further Promoting the Reform and Opening up of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone is hereby issued to you for your earnest implementation.
Plan for Further Promoting the Reform and Opening up of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone
Building pilot free trade zones is a strategic approach of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council to fully deepen reform and expand opening-up under the new situation. After the operation of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the "pilot free trade zone"), the construction has made phased progress and realized expected objectives on the whole. This Plan is formulated to implement the decisions and plans of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, further deepen the reform and opening-up in the pilot free trade zone and support Hong Kong and Macao to participate in the development of the country.
I. General Requirements
1. Guiding ideology. Uphold the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implement the guidelines proposed at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, remain guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, implement the decisions and plans of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, move forward with the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, remain committed to the underlying principle of making progress while keeping performance stable, firmly put into practice the new development philosophy, focus on the supply-side structural reform, take institutional innovations as the core and risk controls as the bottom line, continue to emancipate thinking and carry out ground-breaking pilot programs, promote reform, development and innovation via the opening-up initiative, and form a new situation of all-round reform. Attach greater importance to systematic integration, intensify stress testing, practically and effectively prevent and control risks, explore the opening-up at a higher level and reform and innovation at a deeper level, take the lead in creating a new open economy system, develop new growth drivers for economic transformation and new advantages in global competition, and enable China to have greater influences on and a bigger say in its participation in global economic governance.
2. Construction Objectives. By 2020, succeed in first establishing an institutional system that is suitable for the international shipping hub, the international trading center and the pilot demonstration window for the opening-up of the financial sector, in line with international general rules for investment and trade first, and developing a pioneering region featuring the new open economy system, high-level opening-up hub and the demonstration zone for cooperation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Strengthen the joint actions between the pilot free trade zone reform and the reform in Guangdong Province, implement various pilot reform programs within the Pearl River Delta region in all aspects if conditions permit or promote the same in Guangdong Province.
II. Building a Pioneering Region Featuring the New Open Economy System with Reference to International Advanced Rules
3. Further transforming governmental functions. Delegate the provincial administrative power that has been delegated to cities at or above the prefecture level to the pilot free trade zone as well. Deepen the institutional reform for commercial affairs and launch the pilot reform of separating business licenses from other business permits. Optimize the in-process and ex-post regulation system, improve the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System and the public credit information platform, and institute the mechanism for information sharing between the central government and the local government. Advance the "internet plus governmental affairs services" in a deep-going manner, prompt enterprises to connect their proprietary websites with the systems of all levels of governmental departments, and optimize the government service system featuring information interconnectivity and sharing. Further drive the reshuffle of statutory bodies and explore the market-oriented operation of economic management.
4. Establishing a more open and transparent management mode for market access. Further improve the management system of pre-access national treatment plus the negative list for foreign investment, dramatically lift the restrictions on market access, expand the opening-up of the service sector, make the negative list for foreign investment in the pilot free trade zone more open and transparent, and do the best to create an in-process and ex-post regulatory system compatible with administration by the negative list system. Abolish special administrative limits on the business period of foreign-invested enterprises, except those in special sectors. Explore ways of applying the new management mode to domestic investment projects of eligible foreign-invested venture capital companies and equity investment companies. Clear away and cancel differential treatments in respect of the acquisition of qualifications, bidding and tendering, the protection of rights and interests and so on, and realize the lawful and equal access of various market players to relevant industries, sectors and business.
5. Further improving trade facilitation. Accelerate building the internationally advanced China (Guangdong) "Single Window" for International Trade. Become integrated and aligned with national-level standards for single windows. Explore ways of enabling the single window for international trade to cover a wider range of fields of the trade in services, including technology trade, service outsourcing and maintenance service, and gradually enable the export refund (exemption) declaration for trade in services to be managed under the single window when conditions become ripe. Make progress in building a quality traceability system for imported and exported products, and widen the categories of traceable commodities. Widen the range of commodities for which the inspection and quarantine results provided by third parties will be accepted, as well as the group of such third-party agencies. Broaden the applicable scope of the system on the ATA carnet for the temporary admission of goods, and expand the validity of AT carnets.
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