Building a high-level gateway hub for opening up to the outside world (connecting commentators to promote high-quality development of free trade pilot zones) Innovation | Development Zone | Connection
Dialogue person:
Zhou Shanshan, commentator of this newspaper
Wang Qingfeng, commentator of Nanfang Daily
Zhou Shanshan: On April 21, 2015, the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone Guangzhou Nansha New Area was officially unveiled. In the past 8 years, the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone has accumulated 696 institutional innovation achievements, replicated and promoted 216 reform and innovation experiences in Guangdong Province, and released 301 institutional innovation cases. The Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone dares to take the lead and take the initiative, which can be said to be due to the reform spirit of Guangdong, which dares to take risks and take the lead.
Wang Qingfeng: Shenzhen is the first special economic zone in China. The mudflat beside the Qianhai Bay is the "special zone in the special zone". The slogan "Time is money, efficiency is life" has led Shekou to forge a new path of development, which has become the common memory of a generation. As a vanguard, pioneer, and experimental zone of reform and opening up, Guangdong still maintains the reform spirit of "daring to try and be the first" and inherits the spirit of daring to try and be the first. In recent years, from banana forests and green fields to towering skyscrapers, from sparsely populated areas to investment hotspots, from remote suburbs to experimental fields for reform and innovation, one of the notable features of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone is its bold experimentation, daring innovation, and independent innovation, setting multiple national leaders and increasing its attraction to the world.
Zhou Shanshan: The attraction of openness often stems from the courage of reform. On the one hand, it is necessary to promote institutional openness such as rules, regulations, management, and standards through institutional innovation; On the other hand, we should also promote reform and development through high-level opening up, that is, expanding high-level opening itself will put forward higher requirements for institutional innovation.
Wang Qingfeng: Observing the development of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone, the positive interaction between institutional innovation and expanding opening up is a distinctive feature and context. The Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone has strengthened proactive planning and systematic design, focusing on carrying out innovative, differentiated, and systematic reforms, creating a hot land for investment and entrepreneurship. Over the past 8 years, more than 260000 new enterprises have been established, and the total import and export volume has continuously exceeded 200 billion, 300 billion, and 500 billion yuan in the past 3 years, with an average annual growth rate of over 25%, forming a scale effect and demonstration effect of expanding opening up. Dialectically speaking, institutional innovation is launched to meet the needs of expanding openness. For example, in order to build a high-level investment platform, we have implemented the national shortest negative list of foreign investment and the first commercial registration system in China in terms of enterprise access. We have also implemented innovative measures such as "one-stop processing", "separation of certificates and licenses", and "starting work immediately upon delivery" in terms of enterprise approval. We have established industry and talent policies with broad coverage and high value in serving enterprises, and implemented a "double 15%" income tax preferential policy for enterprises and individuals, as well as efficient and convenient cross-border tax services. For example, in order to connect with the construction of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, investors in Hengqin and Macao only need to choose one service to complete registration in both places, and can obtain a business license within 3 hours. It can be said that expanding openness provides a driving force for institutional innovation, while institutional openness enhances the level and level of openness.
Zhou Shanshan: The Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone covers three areas: Nansha New Area in Guangzhou, Shekou in Qianhai, Shenzhen, and Hengqin New Area in Zhuhai. It is the forefront and window in the forefront of reform and opening up. Many institutional and mechanism issues related to docking with Hong Kong and Macao, as well as international cooperation, have first broken through within the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone and then replicated and promoted to other cities in the Greater Bay Area. In this regard, promoting the integrated development of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area is also a distinct characteristic and mission of the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone compared to other pilot free trade zones.
Wang Qingfeng: The Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone is a demonstration zone for deep cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Many reform measures are aimed at deepening cooperation between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. At present, Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone has established a total of 24000 Hong Kong and Macao funded enterprises, attracting 47.377 billion yuan from Hong Kong and Macao, and attracting more than 30% of the total Hong Kong and Macao funded enterprises in the province with a total area of 0.6% of the province. Here, the first Hong Kong and Macau funded sole proprietorship and controlling bank, securities, and fund institution in China has landed, with 11 Hong Kong and Macau funded travel agencies and 14 Guangdong Hong Kong Macao joint law firms established. The first Australian funded sole proprietorship medical institution in mainland China has been established, and 55 Hong Kong engineering construction consulting enterprises and 253 professionals have been registered. More than 1000 Macau professionals in architecture, design, tourism, medical and other fields have obtained cross-border practice qualifications in Hengqin. The Hong Kong and Macau Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Base has incubated 1442 entrepreneurial teams. Continuously deepening mutually beneficial cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao, fully leveraging its experimental and demonstrative role in deepening reform, expanding opening up, and promoting cooperation, can better promote the construction of the Greater Bay Area.
Zhou Shanshan: In order to build a high-level gateway hub for opening up to the outside world, the Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone is still developing on a larger scale. Last year, 13 cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, and Shantou established Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone Linkage Development Zone, which promotes linkage testing, collaborative innovation, and resource sharing with the pilot free trade zone. These 13 linked development zones not only highlight the construction center of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, but also many are located in the eastern, western, and northern regions of Guangdong. They have formed a new round of open exploration in a larger scope, wider field, and deeper level, expanding the space for institutional innovation, promoting the overflow, replication, and transformation of valuable experience, and further highlighting the role of regional linkage and industrial synergy efficiency.
Wang Qingfeng: Copying and promoting the achievements of institutional innovation to take root and bear fruit in more places not only opens up greater space for Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone to take the lead and practice independently, but also maximizes the effectiveness of institutional innovation. The development of the eastern, western, and northern regions of Guangdong is relatively underdeveloped, and their development environment and institutional environment are relatively backward. In the past year since the establishment of the Joint Development Zone, 62 reform and innovation experiences have been implemented, 117 institutional innovation issues have been explored, and 60 industrial collaborative projects have been implemented, opening up a preliminary situation. The dividends of the pilot free trade zone continue to spill over to the linkage development zone, and regional coordinated development has also been effectively solved.
Promoting the high-quality development of Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone tests the confidence, wisdom, and courage to create new industries and open up new opportunities. Putting aside the glory of the past, shouldering the responsibility of today, being down-to-earth, truly focusing on practical work, narrowing the gap by identifying it accurately, catching up with and surpassing the first-class in benchmarking, Guangdong Pilot Free Trade Zone is sure to produce more achievements.