Further optimizing the environment for foreign investment and increasing efforts to attract foreign investment - Multi departmental detailed explanation of the new batch of policies and measures to stabilize foreign investment environment | Foreign investment | Strength

Beijing, August 14th (Xinhua) - Further optimizing the environment for foreign investment and increasing efforts to attract foreign investment - Multiple departments explain in detail the new batch of policies and measures to stabilize foreign investment

Xinhua News Agency reporters Pan Jie and Xie Xiyao

The State Council recently issued the "Opinions on Further Optimizing the Foreign Investment Environment and Increasing the Attraction of Foreign Investment", proposing 24 policy measures in 6 aspects to create a more optimized investment environment for foreign investors and boost their confidence in foreign investment.

On August 14th, the State Council Information Office held a routine policy briefing in Beijing, inviting Assistant Minister of Commerce Chen Chunjiang, Head of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Yao Jun, Director of the Economic Construction Department of the Ministry of Finance Fu Jinling, Director of the Foreign Investment Management Department of the Ministry of Commerce Zhu Bing, and Head of the Credit Supervision and Administration Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation Liu Lin to introduce relevant information on continuously deepening reform and opening up, effectively optimizing the business environment, and answering questions from reporters. Shen Jizhong

At the routine policy briefing of the State Council held on the 14th, relevant officials from the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the State Administration for Market Regulation introduced the relevant situation.

Assistant Minister of Commerce Chen Chunjiang said that opinions have four main characteristics——

One is to expand the breadth and depth of opening up to the outside world, such as "increasing the comprehensive pilot demonstration of expanding opening up in the service industry" and "encouraging foreign-invested enterprises and their established research and development centers to undertake major scientific research projects";

The second is to improve the level of investment and operation convenience, such as providing entry and exit, residence cessation convenience for foreign executives, technical personnel and their families of foreign-invested enterprises, and establishing green channels for qualified foreign-invested enterprises to efficiently carry out important data and personal information exit security assessments;

Thirdly, we will increase efforts to guide foreign investment, such as "supporting regions to implement supporting incentive measures for foreign-invested enterprises that meet the requirements of the Catalogue of Industries Encouraging Foreign Investment within their legal authority" and "supporting foreign-invested enterprises in fields such as advanced manufacturing, modern services, digital economy, and various vocational colleges and training institutions to carry out vocational education and training";

The fourth is to strengthen the promotion and service guarantee of foreign investment, such as "establishing and improving the roundtable conference system for foreign-invested enterprises" and "encouraging regions to explore more effective and flexible employment mechanisms and salary systems for non civil servants and non public service positions in foreign investment promotion departments and teams".

Chen Chunjiang stated that he will implement the opinions released this time, as well as a series of policy measures such as supporting foreign R&D centers and promoting manufacturing investment attraction previously introduced. He will work with relevant departments to study and promote the reasonable reduction of the negative list of foreign investment access, continue to expand foreign investment market access, and further relax foreign investors' strategic investment restrictions on listed companies.

Equal participation in government procurement activities is one of the widely concerned issues for foreign-funded enterprises. Clear opinions ensure that foreign-invested enterprises participate in government procurement activities in accordance with the law. Promptly introduce relevant policy measures to further clarify the specific standards for "production within China". Research and innovate collaborative procurement methods, and support foreign-invested enterprises in innovating and developing globally leading products in China through measures such as first purchase orders. Promote the accelerated revision of the Government Procurement Law.

Fu Jinling, Director of the Economic Construction Department of the Ministry of Finance, said that in accordance with the relevant requirements of the opinions, we will actively promote the revision of the Government Procurement Law and the coordination and unification of the Government Procurement Law and the Tendering and Bidding Law, focus on ensuring that domestic and foreign enterprises participate in government procurement activities equally in the production of products within China, conduct special inspections, and lawfully correct and punish illegal and irregular behaviors such as differential or discriminatory treatment towards foreign-invested enterprises.

"The newly released opinions clearly propose to support the gradient transfer of foreign-invested enterprises." Yao Jun, the person in charge of the Planning Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said that we will strengthen policy guidance, deepen regional cooperation, build docking platforms, and strengthen international cooperation, focusing on strengthening and supplementing the industrial chain. We will guide various regions to establish and improve regional docking and cooperation mechanisms, deepen and expand "chain like" transfer and cooperation models, and achieve resonance and positive interaction between the East, West, and East.

In terms of improving the service guarantee for foreign-invested enterprises, Zhu Bing, Director General of the Foreign Investment Management Department of the Ministry of Commerce, introduced that since 2020, the Ministry of Commerce has established a special team for key foreign investment projects under the coordination service mechanism for foreign trade and investment, and has carried out institutionalized and normalized exchanges with foreign-invested enterprises and foreign business associations in China. Recently, the Ministry of Commerce has upgraded and established a roundtable meeting system for foreign-funded enterprises, further expanding channels for collecting issues and listening to opinions, and timely responding to and addressing corporate concerns.

The opinions are clear and support foreign-invested enterprises to participate equally in the formulation of standards in accordance with the law. Promote the disclosure of information throughout the entire process of standard formulation and revision, and ensure that foreign-invested enterprises and domestic enterprises participate equally in the standardization technical committee and standard formulation work in accordance with the law.

Liu Lin, the head of the Credit Supervision and Administration Department of the State Administration for Market Regulation, introduced that the Guiding Opinions of the National Standardization Administration on Strengthening the Work of the National Professional Standardization Technical Committee have been issued, encouraging foreign-funded enterprises and foreign experts to participate in the formulation of group standards. Currently, 62% of professional standardization technical committees have members from foreign-funded enterprises.

In promoting foreign investment, Zhu Bing stated that he will continue to organize the "Investment in China Year" investment promotion activities well; Fully mobilize various forces such as embassies and consulates abroad, domestic and foreign associations, industry organizations, and foreign investment promotion institutions, and make good use of various economic and trade exhibitions, free trade pilot zones, national development zones, and other carrier platforms to provide support for investment attraction in various regions; Combining investment attraction with "stabilizing the supply chain, strengthening the supply chain" and "attracting talents, intelligence, and technology", we will introduce a group of high-quality foreign investment that can make up for shortcomings and strengthen advantages.