BEIJING, March 6 (APP): Tianjin Binhai New Area District Chief, Shan Zefeng said on Thursday that openness-driven reform and development have been a key driver of China’s modernization achievements.
As a national pioneer in openness and Tianjin’s primary platform for global engagement, Binhai New Area has attracted over 5,000 foreign-funded enterprises by building a robust ecosystem for foreign investment.
Leveraging the strategic advantages of its “twin ports” to connect domestic and international markets, the area achieved annual import-export trade volumes of nearly 600 billion yuan, with service trade growing by 31.8%, solidifying its role in leading Tianjin’s global integration, he told reporters in responses to a question at the National Two Sessions Media Open Day.
He said, this year, we will cultivate new momentum in foreign investment and trade through 22 targeted measures, shaping higher-level advantages in the open economy. Focus on three areas of strength:
First, to broaden the field of cooperation, and strive to build the main platform for opening up to the outside world. Binhai New Area has the first free trade pilot zone in northern China, and 49 leading and iconic innovations have been replicated and popularized across the country.
In the next step, we will vigorously implement the Free Trade Zone Enhancement Initiative, and steadily promote the opening of the system, in the investment and trade, trade in services and other areas of differentiated exploration, the formation of more docking international high-standard economic and trade rules of the Tianjin experience.
At the same time, focusing on bonded maintenance, biomedicine and other key industries, the implementation of the first, integrated innovation and exploration. We will push forward the comprehensive pilot project of expanding and opening up the service industry, and promote foreign-funded enterprises to invest in value-added telecommunication, medical and healthcare, and industrial Internet applications.
We will also further expand the scale of financing support for high-quality foreign trade enterprises, promote the reform of the customs clearance model for imported goods and the inspection model for energy resource commodities, and continuously improve the convenience of foreign trade services, he added.
Second, docking the international market, efforts to create an upgraded version of foreign trade. Around the creation of China’s northern region to connect the domestic and international double cycle of the important strategic pivot, we will deepen the integration of port, industry and urban development, to create a special China-Europe Railway Express, build an international logistics corridor for Northeast Asia. We will accelerate the green petrochemicals, offshore equipment and other port industries into a complete set, extend the bonded ship supply, shipping finance and other shipping services industry chain, accelerate the offshore e-commerce, cruise ship supply and other export-oriented industry high-quality development.
In addition, we should build import trade promotion innovation demonstration zones and foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases with high standards, support all kinds of enterprises to set up trade main bodies and settlement centers, promote general trade to multi-category and high-value upgrading, support manufacturing enterprises to expand their trade business, accelerate the separation of trade and industry, encourage the export of new three samples and high-end equipment, and enhance the contribution of two markets and two kinds of resources to the development of the industry. The contribution and embeddedness of two markets and two resources will be enhanced, he said.
Third, strengthening services to enhance the ability to focus on creating a new high ground for opening up. Focusing on creating a business environment for the high-quality development of foreign trade and foreign investment, we have been playing the policy comprehensive policy packages of fostering new momentum in service trade, promoting cross-border e-commerce and the construction of overseas warehouses.
We have been playing expanding foreign investment, optimizing the negative list for market access, implementing the requirements for the full abolition of restrictions on foreign investment in the field of manufacturing industry, innovating the mode of approval and service for foreign investment projects, and strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights, foreign-related laws, and consulting services.
He said that intellectual property protection, foreign-related laws, consulting and other professional services, the implementation of more open measures for international talent exchange, and efforts to create a first-class business environment that is market-oriented, rule of law, and internationalized.