Think Tank Observation | Tenth Anniversary of Shanghai Free Trade Zone: Creating a Chinese-style modern “free trade model” market | Strategy | Think Tank

The report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed the implementation of the free trade pilot zone improvement strategy, which is a highly refined and in-depth guide for the construction of free trade pilot zones. In the 1990s, the country's first bonded zone was established in Waigaoqiao, Shanghai. In 2013, the country's first free trade pilot zone, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone, was born from the Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone. Over the past ten years, the 21 free trade pilot zones have formed a new development pattern from south to north, from coastal to inland, giving full play to the role of pilot reform experimental fields and open frontiers, linking the "dual cycle" and promoting the national The construction of a unified large market and the transformation of government functions have formed obvious demonstration effects across the country.

1. The free trade pilot zone makes the "dual cycle" connection smoother

As an important hub for domestic and international "dual circulation", the free trade pilot zone is not only a frontier in promoting international circulation, but also an innovation highland leading domestic circulation. It is also a bridge linking domestic circulation and international circulation.

First, in terms of aligning with international high-standard economic and trade rules, institutional openness has become the main tone of the free trade pilot zone. At present, the benchmarking focus of the free trade pilot zone has gradually shifted from tariffs and market access involved in traditional trade and investment to areas such as service trade, intellectual property rights, cross-border data, industrial development, government procurement, state-owned enterprises, and labor protection. On the one hand, this transformation conforms to the trend of the reconstruction of international high-standard economic and trade rules extending from the border to behind the border. On the other hand, it is also the internal driving force of the free trade pilot zone to actively play an important node in the domestic and international dual circulation. It is following the trend. It is also an initiative to seek change. In the current negotiations on high-standard international economic and trade agreements such as CPTPP and DEPA, the free trade pilot zone will play a more important role and help the negotiations proceed smoothly with rich scenarios and cases.

Second, in terms of domestic and foreign trade integration, the natural advantages of the free trade pilot zone determine that the area where it is located has always been a key area for implementing pilot projects to promote domestic and foreign trade integration. From the perspective of entities, enterprises in the Pilot Free Trade Zone have dual domestic and international genes and two-way adaptability. Whether foreign-funded enterprises develop inward or domestic enterprises develop outward, they can obtain energy from the fertile soil of the Pilot Free Trade Zone. From a policy perspective, the Pilot Free Trade Zone has unique policy advantages in promoting the simultaneous development of domestic and foreign trade and the flexible conversion of domestic and foreign trade, such as the pilot program for general taxpayer qualifications and the same ship transportation for domestic and foreign trade. Policies encourage enterprises to make full use of two markets and two resources. , and reduce the interchange costs of products in the two markets as much as possible. Hainan Free Trade Port has unique policy advantages in promoting the integration of domestic and foreign trade, such as tariff-free processing of value-added products for domestic sales, and the bunkering of bonded fuel on the same ship for domestic and foreign trade. From the perspective of business formats, the new trade formats and new models such as cross-border e-commerce, market procurement, offshore trade and bonded maintenance that the Pilot Free Trade Zone has vigorously developed in recent years have further opened up the international market and the domestic market, allowing two markets and two resources The links are more complete and efficient. Taking cross-border e-commerce as an example, cross-border e-commerce provides great convenience for domestic enterprises, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to "go overseas" by accurately connecting overseas markets and simplifying transaction intermediate links. The creative effect of trade is very significant.

Third, in terms of headquarters economic development, the Pilot Free Trade Zone has become a highland linking international resources and domestic resources with its rich headquarters resources. The efficiency of resource allocation and the intensiveness of development space of headquarters enterprises are highly consistent with regional development goals. Places with mature headquarters economic development can achieve a win-win situation for enterprises and regional development. For example, when regional headquarters of multinational corporations further promote localization strategies, they will have closer and closer ties with local companies in the industrial chain. This, on the one hand, enhances the status of multinational corporations in the global industrial chain value chain; on the other hand, it also It optimizes the local industrial ecology, especially provides local enterprises with access to the global network of multinational companies' open innovation ecosystems, thereby enabling local enterprises to access the unique breadth and depth of multinational companies and assisting them in "going global." For example, in Shanghai, which has the largest concentration of regional headquarters of domestic multinational companies, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone has achieved joint development, integration and symbiosis between multinational companies and local enterprises through the Global Operator Plan and the Large Enterprise Open Innovation Plan, and its global resource allocation capabilities have continued to improve. promote.

2. The free trade pilot zone makes the national unified market operate more efficiently

The market is the most important capital for my country to participate in international competition and cooperation. Although my country has the advantage of a large-scale market, in order to turn its advantages into real dividends, it must break various low-level closed cycles and create a market community with free and efficient flow of factors. At present, 21 free trade pilot zones across the country have formed a new pattern of all-round opening up covering the east, west, south, north, and middle. Due to the inherent genes of open innovation in the free trade pilot zones, domestic factors have been more fully and efficiently developed under the guidance of the free trade pilot zones. configuration, the horizontal connections between regions have been continuously strengthened, and it has also formed a strong attraction for global factor resources. The role of the pilot free trade zone in promoting the construction of a unified national market is specifically reflected in:

First, the integration of customs supervision is accelerating. The Pilot Free Trade Zone has activated the mobility of factors through institutional innovation, making the flow of various commodity factors between customs and ports more convenient and smooth. From the perspective of customs clearance methods, my country's customs clearance includes port customs declaration, transit customs declaration, territorial declaration, regional customs clearance integration and national customs clearance integration. Among them, the reform measures in aspects such as customs transit and national customs clearance integration are derived from The internal driving force of reform and innovation in the pilot free trade zone and the external push brought by new trade formats and new models. For example, market procurement is a new trade format and model that has developed rapidly in recent years. Due to its characteristics of small batches and multiple batches and the need for nearby and convenient customs clearance, goods exported through this method can flexibly choose customs transit, port clearance or National integrated customs clearance model. From the perspective of supervision methods, the implementation of off-site customs supervision has also added "customs power" to the construction of a unified national market.

Second, horizontal connections between regions have been continuously strengthened. Over the past ten years, the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone has accumulated more than 300 reform experiences that have been replicated and promoted nationwide at different levels and in different fields. The connection between regions goes far beyond the replication and promotion of institutional innovation achievements. The 21 pilot free trade zones across the country have increasingly developed horizontal linkages and synergies during their opening up and development. Exchanges, cooperation, and mutual exchanges between them have Learning from each other is becoming increasingly close. In terms of platforms, cooperation platforms such as the Yangtze River Delta Pilot Free Trade Zone Alliance, the Yellow River Pilot Free Trade Zone Alliance, and the China Pilot Free Trade Zone Think Tank Alliance have emerged. In the process of creating a more unified, stable, and predictable market environment, various regions have collaborated to create a more unified, stable, and predictable market environment. Cooperation is getting stronger and consensus is deepening. In terms of region, under the influence of the "gravity" of the free trade pilot zone, the integration momentum of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has further strengthened. The twin-city economic circle in the Chengdu-Chongqing region has emerged strongly, improving in the form of urban agglomerations. It reflects the activity, contribution and recognition of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in the national unified market.

Third, the market potential of inland areas continues to be released. In recent years, the rise of multimodal transport such as railway transport and rail-sea combined transport has changed the international economic and trade pattern based on sea transport to a certain extent, allowing the central and western inland areas that have long been on the edge of opening up to show their vigorous development vitality and narrowing the gap with the eastern region. In the case of multimodal transport, this transportation mode characterized by seamless connection, precise matching and one-time connection of sea, air and rail reduces transaction costs and opens the door for breaking down regional barriers and promoting the efficient flow of factors across the country. new space. Inland free trade pilot zones such as Chongqing, Sichuan and Shaanxi have improved the overall operating efficiency of logistics channels in the vast inland areas through the multimodal transport "one-way system" reform, connected various regions and market entities along the channels, and used channels to promote trade and The pattern of developing industry through trade is becoming increasingly clear. As a national strategy and top-level design, the "one order system" for multimodal transport is an important transition from single-link flow to full-chain, ecological flow. It is also an inherent requirement for flexible and efficient allocation of elements in a larger space, effectively Improved the accessibility of factors in domestic and international markets.

3. The free trade pilot zone allows government departments to work together to become more coherent

The free trade pilot zone is another important reform and innovation platform after special economic zones, development zones and industrial parks. However, it has its own new connotation, new characteristics and new mission in terms of development background, strategic positioning, overall goals and task measures. It is a new carrier, new platform and new space for reform and opening up in the new era. As a top-level national design, it is the distinctive feature of the free trade pilot zone to maximize the power of reform, release the vitality of innovation, and make reform and innovation more grounded and warm. Over the past ten years, the reform and innovation of the Pilot Free Trade Zone has achieved remarkable results in breaking down departmental responsibility barriers and information barriers. It has enhanced the joint efforts of government departments to achieve an "effective market" with a "promising government", and the boundaries between the government and the market have been continuously optimized.

First, integrated reforms form a normalized mechanism. The transformation of government functions is an integral part of institutional innovation in the Pilot Free Trade Zone. In the past decade, the reform of “delegating powers, delegating power, delegating power, delegating regulation and optimizing services” has been actively applied and innovatively developed in the Pilot Free Trade Zone. The "decentralization, regulation and service" reform is a reform with obvious "integrated" characteristics in terms of reform concepts, reform methods, reform methods and reform paths. For example, the "one industry, one certificate" reform pioneered by the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone focuses on new business formats. The access needs of market entities under the new model integrate multiple licenses involved in an industry into one "industry comprehensive license", which greatly reduces the cost of industry access and stimulates the entrepreneurial innovation motivation of market entities. The "one industry, one license" reform is an innovative system supply centered on the needs of market entities. It represents the direction of the reform of the "single-track system" for comprehensive industry licensing. After an industry comprehensive license is issued to the market entity system, the individual licenses involved will no longer be accepted separately. , issuance of certificates, but in terms of supervision during and after the event, coordinated and comprehensive supervision covering the entire life cycle of market entities shall be implemented.

Second, small-scale reforms are developing in depth. In addition to integrated reform, small-cut reform is also a "sharp tool" to promote the transformation of government functions in the pilot free trade zone. In the free trade pilot zone, small-scale, high-frequency innovation activities are brewing and happening every day. Not only are they quick to produce results and highly sensitive, but they also start from the small to the big, from the shallow to the deep, which will eventually form a highly relevant and integrated enterprise. Systematic reform measures. Taking the biomedical "white list" system as an example, the import of special items for research and development has long been plagued by small batches, multiple batches, high risks, and strong supervision. The slow pace of entry affects the progress of research and development and the subsequent launch of new drugs. Moreover, special items for research and development must have an "Import Drug Clearance Form" before they can be imported. This is a condition that only drugs registered and marketed in China can meet. Therefore, companies can only look forward to "research". The Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone started to explore the facilitation of the import of special items for biomedical research and development on a pilot basis starting from the "Imported Drugs Customs Clearance Form". Shanghai Customs and Pudong New Area Commerce Commission, Health Commission, Market Supervision Bureau and other units have established joint safety supervision of inbound special items. mechanism to form a "white list" system for special items entering the country. Under the "white list" system, R&D items no longer need to apply for the "Imported Drug Customs Clearance Form", and customs clearance efficiency has been greatly improved. In the past three years, the number of domestically produced innovative drugs approved in Shanghai has accounted for as much as one-quarter of the country's total. At present, the biomedical "white list" system has been replicated and promoted in many places across the country, stimulating the vitality of R&D and innovation in the biomedical industry.

Third, the effect of digital reform is obvious. Data has become the fifth production factor alongside land, labor, capital, and technology, and is the core engine for the development of the digital economy. Digitization is a powerful tool for optimizing government work processes and promoting inter-departmental connectivity and collaboration. The Pilot Free Trade Zone has focused on digitalization in recent years and has taken solid steps in trade and investment facilitation, industrial transformation and digital government construction. The Pilot Free Trade Zone promotes the reengineering of government service processes through digitalization, coordinates and promotes the intensive construction of government application systems in various industries and fields, realizes business integration through data fusion, and achieves "getting one thing done efficiently."

At this critical juncture of ten years, the free trade pilot zone must set higher goals on the basis of summarizing the results, continue to deepen institutional opening, play a greater role in regional development and global competition and cooperation, and lay the foundation for the free trade pilot zone. The district improvement strategy provides more and richer high-quality solutions. At the same time, we should seek a deeper balance and broader reform space between the "top-down" national strategy and the "bottom-up" reform exploration, maximize the release of reform dividends, and create a Chinese-style modern "free trade" Template".