The Pilot Free Trade Zone is China’s important platform to comprehensively deepen the reform and opening-up, and the China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the “FTZ”) is a significant engine for Sichuan to carry out the development strategy of “one main line and multiple branches”. In order to profoundly implement the General Planning of China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone of the State Council, further perfect the strategic plan for the FTZ construction, and strive for developing a new way to build the inland FTZ, The People’s Government of Sichuan Province has recently released a Guideline on Promoting the Leading Engineering Construction of China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the “Guideline”) to propose the opinions to this respect.
The Guideline clearly proposes to definite new tasks and better play the leading and demonstration role of the FTZ based on new situation, put forth effort to deepen the reform of “simplifying administrative procedures and delegating powers to lower levels to lower the entry threshold; just supervision to promote fair competition; efficient service to create convenient environment” to lead the institutional innovation in key fields, conduct the “construction action to open the portal hub” to direct and improve the connectivity level, carry out the “two-zone” construction action to guide the regional cooperation based on multiple layers and dimensions, implement the exploration for the inland free trade port to lead and create the stereoscopic and all-round opening-up pattern, bring the “opening-up upgrading action” to develop the open economy with higher level, and perfect the work promotion mechanism to strengthen the comprehensive guarantee measures.
The Guideline clearly points out the development goal to build the FTZ as the world’s first-class and high-level FTZ by 2022, which can keep a foothold in China’s mainland, connect the eastern and western regions, serve the whole country, and face to the world. The legalized, internationalized, and convenient business environment will be basically built, the connectivity system facing to the world will be constantly perfected, the modern industrial system will be gradually formed, and the synergic opening-up of inland, coastal areas, riverside regions, and border will gain remarkable achievements. The FTZ will play a great role in leading and promoting the surrounding areas, and become Sichuan’s core engine for regional and balanced development of “one main line & multiple branches, and synergy of five zones”, turn into the whole province’s highest-level platform for stereoscopic and all-round opening-up of “four-direction expansion and universal opening-up”, and be the core force for leading Sichuan’s quality development.
The Guideline clearly defines to boost three basic principles of the Sichuan FTZ’s leading engineering construction. It insists on thoughts as the guidance to intensify the concept of free trade. It requires to firmly seize the major development trend of economic globalization and regional integration, determine to remove the traditional mindset and basin-based awareness for dauntless try and struggle and also autonomous reform, rely on the FTZ to boost the all-round and in-depth revolution for ideology, development concept, work measure and work style, facilitate the consolidation of the whole province’s establishing the reformatory, open and innovative “free trade awareness”, set the legalized and internationalized modern governance system with higher level, which should be more diversified and sustainable, and allow the whole province to share the achievements of the free trade’s reformatory development.
It sticks to the “quality first” and benefit reinforcement as the priority to build up the FTZ with high level and quality, follow the green development path with “ecology first”, strive to create the FTZ as the test field for deepening the reform, the direction for all-round opening-up, the new engine for driving the innovation, and the demonstration zone of coordinated development. The FTZ’s newly established enterprise, registered capital, open economy, and other main development indicators should be higher than the average level of the whole province, and rank high among the inland FTZs to speed up the formation of inland opening-up area with better structure and quality and also with more powerful strength, and play the active role in demonstration and service for China.
It adheres to regional collaboration, and strengthens the co-construction and sharing. It insists on promoting the work in all aspects by drawing upon the experience gained on key points and also on the layered development to boost the exchange and mutual learning between the FTZ and five major economic zones, drive the synergic opening-up of the inland, coastal areas, riverside regions, and border, and positively integrate with the “Belt & Road” construction. Efforts will be made to enhance the reform’s systematic nature, integrality and synergy, fully play the superimposed effect of the FTZ and in-depth promotion to comprehensively deepen the reform, systematically boost the all-round innovation and reform, and profoundly carry forward the structural reform of supply side, so as to explore the new path and pattern for overall deepening the reform and expanding the opening-up in wider field and with higher level.
Efforts will be focused on deepening the reform of “simplifying administrative procedures and delegating powers to lower levels to lower the entry threshold; just supervision to promote fair competition; efficient service to create convenient environment” to lead the institutional innovation in key fields. The Guideline points out to further transform the governmental functions, boost the innovation of two-way investment management system, entirely improve the trade’s convenience level, perfect the supervision on opening-up and innovation of financial system, and accelerate the implementation and copied popularization of the system.
It will carry out the “construction action to open the portal hub” to direct and improve the connectivity level. According to the Guideline, our province will create the Trans-European and Trans-Asian railway transport systems, fully boost the construction of international aviation hub, build the Upstream Yangtze River (Sichuan) Shipping Center, and jointly enhance the connectivity capacity, so as to lead and improve the connectivity level.
It is to carry out the “two-zone” construction action to guide the regional cooperation based on multiple layers and dimensions. Our province will greatly build up the synergic reform based pilot area, explore the construction for a demonstration zone with synergic opening-up of the inland, coastal areas, riverside regions, and border, and reinforce the whole province’s overall linkage.
It is to implement the exploration for the inland free trade port to lead and create the stereoscopic and all-round opening-up pattern. Our province will actively create the inland free trade port, highlight on southward opening-up, enhance the eastward opening-up, and deepen the westward and northward opening-up.
It is to bring the “opening-up upgrading action” to develop the open economy with higher level. Our province will establish the open industrial system with features. Based on the resource endowment, location advantage and development potential of three sub-zones in the FTZ, it is to create a regional economic sector with features and development competition. It will improve the quality and benefit of two-way investment. With open economy as the main direction, it is to perfect the investment promotion system of the FTZ, formulate and launch the supporting policies for expanding the foreign investment and facilitating the quality development, work hard to realize that foreign-funded enterprises introduced by the FTZ account for over 1/3 of those in the whole province, and create the “first-choice place for foreign investment” to support the construction of first-choice place for investment in the central and western regions. It is to assist in building a province of powerful trade, and carry out the connecting-to-the-world activity of “charming free trade & open Sichuan”.
In the following, our province will play the role of FTZ’s work to promote the leading group’s function for inspection and orientation, intensify the overall planning and coordination, entire promotion, as well as supervision and urge of the leading engineering construction, and coordinately solve the major problems. All departments directly under the provincial government should perform their own responsibilities, earnestly implement the decision and deployment that the central government “gives more autonomous reform rights to the FTZ”, and positively strive for the support of China’s ministries and commissions. Each area has the responsibility to defend the land, with dauntless try and struggle and also with autonomous reform. All cities (autonomous prefectures) should intensify the “free trade concept”, actively participate in the synergic reform and opening-up of the FTZ, practically seize the copy and popularization of the FTZ’s reform experience, and form a vivid situation that high-level opening-up forces the profound reform and boosts the quality development.
Meanwhile, our province will accelerate the launch of the Sichuan FTZ’s regulations, further perfect the mechanism of “positive stimulation and converse restriction”, make the orientation of “encouragement for the innovations and tolerance for the failure” more distinct, and guarantee the legal basis for major reforms. It is to boost the construction of “five major supporting platforms” of statistical monitoring, new-pattern think tank, all-media center, law-based governance service, information-oriented supervision, and drive to form the systems of indicator, policy, standard, statistics, and performance appraisal with high-quality development.
At the same time, centering on the “Sichuan Talent Plan”, it has greatly conducted the “1,000 People Plan”, Sichuan High-end Talent Introduction Plan, Plan of Returnee to Serve Sichuan, Doctor Attracting Plan for Enterprises, etc. to accelerate the introduction of high-class talents and teams at home and abroad into Sichuan for innovation and business start-up. It is to perfect the policies and measures for introducing the outstanding overseas talents, optimize the administrative system for foreign talents working in China, improve the channel of applying for permanent residence of foreign talents, complete the foreign talent guarantee policy, support the construction of innovation and business start-up parks for high-level talents from overseas, and create a work and living environment “similar to overseas one”. It is to build up new-pattern research and think tank, establish the research institution and professional advisory committee of the FTZ, reinforce the strategic theme-based study, and offer the decision-making consulting and intellectual support for the FTZ construction. It will constantly hold the research and exchange activities for the FTZ, enhance the “free trade concept” based quality and capability of the cadres and talents, and create a strong atmosphere for “universal free trade”. |
