100 measures push ahead Yunnan’s opening up
On March 14, the “Opinions on Expansion and Deepening of the Opening up in the New Era by the CPC Yunnan Provincial Committee and the provincial government” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”) were released.
Yunnan businesses are at an exhibition in Japan.
The Opinions consist of 100 practical measures in 7 aspects, involving new industries for opening up and cooperation, innovative mechanisms for trade and investment, and the creation of open and inclusive new platforms.
The Opinions cover a wide range of topics, and the implementing policies are quite specific. They aim to push forward Yunnan's openness to the outside world in varied fields, achieving deep, all-round and systematic opening up.
Echoing the Opinions, relevant departments and businesses in Yunnan are putting efforts in trade facilitation, high-quality platform for opening up and high-level openness for Yunnan.
Faster customs clearance for trade facilitation
“We’re trying to provide “one stop” services for Yunnan’s international trade,” said Zhou Xuewen, deputy director of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Commerce, adding cross-border markets have been set up near all border crossings in the province.
Yunnan trade authorities will focus on special services that allow enterprises to be served free of charge and 24 hours a day. Traders will have more online services and fewer visits to the offices.
By the end of 2018, the average time to clear exports and imports through Yunnan customs was reduced to 28.41 hours, 14.09 hours faster than the national average. Now Yunnan is one of the fastest Chinese provinces in customs clearance.
The Opinions said Yunnan should be innovative in mechanisms for trade and investment to further trade facilitation. Also, this year's Report on the Work of the Provincial Government formulated specific measures to better opening up in Yunnan via faster customs clearance.
The person in charge of Kunming Customs said the quarantine system for agricultural products will be improved to quicken customs clearance for fresh produces. And efforts will be made to set up a “green channel” for produces to be cleared fast at the border crossings.
In addition, costs in customs clearance will be further reduced and regulated.
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Free trade areas function as pacesetters
Set up in China's piloting regions for open economy development, the free trade areas, or the bonded zones, play a significant role in international trade, industrial transfer, and coordinated development for regional economies.
In January, the State Council issued “Several Opinions on Promoting High-level Opening up and High-quality Development for Comprehensive Bonded Zones”. In response, the Opinions of the province stipulated the bonded zones, which are intended to serve duty-free logistics and processing, should function as pacesetters for free trade.
“Kunming Customs will help Yunnan companies tap the international and domestic markets by easing entries and exits, facilitating goods transfer, promoting cross-border e-commerce, and implementing in the zones the policies that are proved effective in pilot free trade areas.” Ma Jun, deputy director of Kunming Customs, said on March 19.
As Yunnan’s first area for free trade, the Honghe Comprehensive Bonded Zone was put into service on May 8, 2015. Now, it features an industrial park for the electronic information.
In 2018, the Honghe bonded zone in south Yunnan ranked 20th among its 65 peers across China, according to the Chinese General Administration of Customs.
Next, the Honghe bonded zone will improve management and trade services, put together the international and domestic markets, meet the needs of enterprises, and upgrade regional economic structure.
“By the end of last year, the Kunming Free Trade Area (FTA) had brought in 59 enterprises,” said He Lichuan, director of the FTA management committee.
This year, the Kunming FTA will focus in-depth gold processing, biomedical import and export, aircraft leasing, aviation materials delivery, cross-border e-commerce, and others.
Meanwhile, the Kunming FTA will join hands with Kunming Airport to apply for designated check points for meat and fresh aquatic products, and after approval a trade center for imported goods will be established.
International platforms for mutual benefit
“Assistance and support should be given to Yunnan enterprises for them to join in building overseas industrial parks such as the Kyaukphyu Industrial Park in Myanmar and the Saysettha Development Zone in Laos," reads the Opinions, stressing the building of overseas parks for international production capacity cooperation .
Saysettha Development Zone in Vientiane, Laos
The Saysettha Development Zone is jointly established by Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group and Vientiane Municipal Government of Laos. It is a project planned early under the Belt and Road Initiative.
During an inspection tour to the zone in early March of this year, Lao President Bounnhang Vorachith hoped to build the Saysettha area into a green, sustained, and prosperous development zone.
So far, nearly one billion US dollars has been invested in infrastructure in the zone. 57 enterprises settled in the Saysettha zone, with an investment of over one billion US dollars.
"By the end of 2020, gross output in the zone will exceed 1.5 billion US dollars, creating 10,000 plus jobs," said Chen Wenshan, chairman of the Yunnan group.
For mutual benefit and win-win results, Yunnan is joining hands with South and Southeast Asian countries to build up cooperative platforms. These include the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Regional Cooperation Forum and the Yunnan-Myanmar Cooperation Forum.
The Opinions specially mentioned the China-South Asia Expo and the China-South Asia Cooperation Forum, both of which are intended to be platforms for enhancing international economic and trade cooperation.
“This year, we will do a good job in preparing the 2nd China-South Asia Cooperation Forum, during which we expect the parties will jointly issue a local cooperation vision for China-South Asia economic and social development," said Wang Wei, deputy director of Yunnan Foreign Affairs Office.
Reporting by Han Chengyuan and Liu Ziyu (Yunnan Daily); trans-editing by Wang Shixue