侨音频道 Hainan on rise amid policy boost

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China prepares package of measures to expand foreign investors' market access

China is preparing a package of preferential policies to further facilitate free trade and investment, and relax market access for foreign investors in China's southern Hainan Free Trade Port, offering huge growth opportunities for global stakeholders, officials and experts said on Monday.

They said the preferential policies highlight the government's ongoing efforts to open wider to the outside world, which is set to attract a growing number of global investors from sectors such as medicine, healthcare, education, high-tech and culture to invest and develop in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

Cong Liang, deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission, said China has been actively promoting the construction of major projects in the free trade port.

We will work out an action plan for the construction of those major projects, and set up a reserve system for major projects, he said at a news conference in Beijing.

China has already drafted a negative list for cross-border service trade in Hainan, and a number of measures will be released to further advance trade liberalization and facilitation in the island, said Vice-Minister of Commerce Wang Shouwen.

Last week, the central government launched a series of special measures to relax market access in the Hainan Free Trade Port and turn it into a focal point for China's deepened reforms.

According to Wang, the Ministry of Commerce, together with another 19 departments, will jointly unveil 28 special measures in the near future to promote the liberalization and facilitation of trade, in a move to build a high-quality free trade port in Hainan and improve related policies for free trade.

Among the measures, the government will relax curbs on the import and export of crude oil, refined oil, sugar and other goods, cancel measures for automatic import licenses and import licenses for mechanical and electrical products, and exempt technology import and export business from having to go through filing and registration.

The new measures also include developing the secondhand car export business in Hainan, supporting the province's development of new types of offshore international trade and digital, technological and cultural trade and innovating modes of international cooperation in the service trade.

A new offshore international trade center and a regional international exhibition hub will be built in Hainan.

The newly announced measures led shares of companies with links to the Hainan Free Trade Port to jump 1.69 percent on Thursday, with Huawen Media Group and Hainan Dadonghai Tourism Centre (Holdings) Co both surging by the 10 percent daily trading limit, according to information provider Wind Info.

Experts said the preferential policies highlight the government's ongoing efforts to implement the master plan for the free trade port released in June, which requires establishing a basic free trade port policy system with a key focus on facilitating free trade and investment by 2025.

Cui Weijie, deputy director of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation under the Ministry of Commerce, said the policies will help gather key resource elements, promote high-quality development of tourism, modern services and high-tech industries and establish the Hainan Free Trade Port as a model for other regions to expand opening-up.

Tao Jin, deputy director of the macroeconomic research center of the Suning Institute of Finance, said the policy boost is set to promote the innovation-driven and high-quality development of the Hainan Free Trade Port. It is set to attract more talent and capital from home and abroad and gather various industrial resources.

Tao said that the government was likely to open up more fields in the cultural, tourism and financial sectors and further shorten the negative lists for foreign investors' market access.

Fabrice Megarbane, president of L'Oreal's North Asia zone and CEO of L'Oreal China, said Hainan's further opening-up is an innovative way to stimulate consumption, and the company believes it will be a well-balanced strategy to satisfy consumers' huge appetite for beauty products.

The French company will showcase a number of beauty brands in a 500-square-meter space at the upcoming first China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, capital of Hainan, from May 7 to 10.

Consumption has become the core driving force for economic growth in China and beauty is becoming a beacon industry, he said. We expect to provide more and better products and experiences for travelers in Hainan.

【背景阅读】

促贸易自由化便利化 这个利好海南自贸港的政策将发布

海南自贸港贸易自由化便利化建设迎来利好。商务部副部长兼国际贸易谈判副代表王受文12日表示，商务部牵头会同19个部门提出进一步推进海南自由贸易港贸易自由化便利化的若干措施，涉及28项政策措施，将于近期发布。

贸易自由化便利化，是国际先进自由贸易港的普遍特征，也是海南自贸港的一项建设重点。王受文在当日召开的国新办发布会上表示，这一文件是为更好落实2020年6月1日印发的《海南自由贸易港建设总体方案》制定，已经国务院批准。

若干措施将大大提升企业贸易便利化自由化水平。比如，在货物贸易领域，在特定区域放宽原油、成品油、食糖等商品进出口资质和数量管理，取消自动进口许可和机电进口许可管理措施。在服务贸易领域按“既准入又准营”要求，明确允许外国机构独立举办除冠名“中国”“中华”“全国”“国家”等字样以外的涉外经济技术展览，允许技术进出口经营活动不需办理对外贸易经营者备案登记，探索取消设立拍卖企业审核许可和商业特许经营备案等。

措施还包括下放国际航行船舶保税加油许可权限，将海南纳入开展二手车出口业务地区范围，支持海南发展新型离岸国际贸易、数字贸易、技术贸易、文化贸易、会展经济，支持海南创建国家文化出口基地，建设国家对外文化贸易基地，助力海南打造全球性或区域性的新型离岸国际贸易中心及区域性国际会展中心等。

措施还涉及完善贸易领域的配套政策，包括提升进出口商品质量安全风险预警和快速反应监管能力，支持海南参与制定推荐性国家标准、制定地方标准及团体标准，建立应对贸易摩擦工作站和贸易调整援助机制等。

王受文还表示，海南自由贸易港跨境服务贸易负面清单起草工作已完成，目前正在走相应程序。

来源｜中国日报