Zhangzhou Municipal People’s Government recently introduced a Plan for Further Improving Business Environment and Reducing Government-Imposed Transaction Costs for Market Entities. The Plan contains 24 measures in four dimensions for the benefit of market entities, namely, reducing the cost of market access, easing burdens, cutting transaction costs, and protecting legitimate rights and interests. These measures serve to boost the confidence of market entities whose vitality has a bearing on the city’s high-quality development.

1.Reducing the cost of market access

Hidden thresholds will be removed as negative list on market access is shortened. Government authorities will strengthen quality oversight of manufactured products, deepen reform of the administrative system, and standardize government procurement and tendering and bidding. Business registration process will be simplified.

2. Easing burdens                                                             

Charges and fees levied on companies will be overhauled, illegal charges and fines eliminated, fees for public services standardized, and service charges from financial service providers, trade associations, chambers of commerce, and logistics companies monitored.

3. Cutting transaction costs                                              

Businesses will be provided with better online and offline public services for review and approval of investment and construction project, cross-border trade, and tax payment. Intermediary services will be subjected to more rigorous scrutiny. Greater efforts will be made to ensure full delivery of pro-business policies.

4. Protecting legitimate rights and interests       

Government departments will strengthen impartial regulation, and enhance precise coordination to monitor the legitimacy of law enforcement, create a level playing field, and protect intellectual property rights. The process of decision making and policy implementation will be the subject of close scrutiny to increase political integrity. There will be more feedback channels for market entities to air grievances and solve problems.

The Plan states that departments at all levels should strengthen coordination and cooperation, and introduce supporting measures that take into account local conditions, so as to bring down government-imposed transaction costs on schedule. It is worth noting that Zhangzhou Municipal Government will incorporate the above four dimensions into a digital system dedicated to real-time monitoring of business environment. Best practices will be promoted and adopted across the board to produce the desired results.