The General Office of the People’s Government of Sichuan Provincial has printed and distributed the Implementation Plan for Building the Pilot Areas of Collaborative reform in the China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone, which proposed to establish three pilot areas for collaborative reform in the Pilot Free Trade Zone during this year, and strive to build 15 pilot areas by 2020.
The “top design” of the Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone has been continuously improved. Prior to this, the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Leading Engineering Construction of the China (Sichuan) Free Trade Pilot Zone has been issued. The Plan issued this time proposes to deepen the innovation model of the "3 District + N Park" based on the principle of “combined superiority, classified promotion, demonstrative drivers, and all-round free-trade”, and explore to establish pilot areas for collaborative reform in the Pilot Free Trade Zone, all of which would lead the whole province to share the reform dividend of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.
The Plan encourages the following three types of entities to apply for building pilot areas for coordinated reform: State-level development zones with flexible institutional mechanisms and boasting advantages in platforms, functions, industries and channels; Economic functional zones which conform to the pattern of regional coordinated development of the province and the strategic deployment for cultivating a three-dimensional comprehensive opening-up pattern, and equipped with strong capabilities of reform and innovation, obvious advantages in open development, and prominent driving effect for other regions; County-level administrative areas with regional advantages, distinctive industrial characteristics, and huge potentials for opening-up.
After receiving approval for construction, the pilot areas for coordinated reform will undertake eight key tasks: collaborate to promote innovation of core systems; take the lead to emulate and promote reform experiences; entrust greater autonomy in reform; jointly build an open platform linking the outside world; construct a new pattern featuring three-dimensional and comprehensive opening-up; develop a higher level open economy; construct characteristic and modern industrial systems; enhance connectivity among regions.
To ensure the implementation of these measures, Sichuan province will establish an evaluation system and a dynamic management mechanism for high-quality development in the pilot areas for collaborative reform, and carry out third-party evaluation.