In order to implement the relevant deployment requirements of the state, promote the coordination of areas under special customs supervision and the China (Hebei) Pilot Free Trade Zone in terms of layout, management, policy, industrial development, and innovation, take the lead in exploring and forming a new development pattern, and create a new highland for opening up to the outside world Recently, eight departments including the Provincial Department of Commerce and Shijiazhuang Customs jointly issued the "Notice on Several Measures to Promote the Coordinated Development of Special Customs Supervision Areas and China (Hebei) Pilot Free Trade Zone" (Jishang Zimao Zi [2022] No. 1, below referred to as the “Notice”).
1. Background
Special Customs Supervision Areas and Pilot Free Trade Zones are important platforms for the development of an open economy. A few days ago, 8 ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Commerce and the General Administration of Customs jointly issued the "Notice on Several Measures to Promote the Coordinated Development of Special Customs Supervision Areas and Pilot Free Trade Zones" (Shang Zimao Fa [2021] No. 224). In order to better promote the implementation of the spirit of the notice, further leverage the advantages of the policy functions of the special customs supervision area and the role of the reform and opening up test field of the Hebei Pilot Free Trade Zone, and promote the coordinated development of the two types of areas, the Provincial Department of Commerce, together with Shijiazhuang Customs, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Provincial Industry and Commerce Department The Department of Information Technology, the Provincial Department of Finance, the Provincial Department of Natural Resources, the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, the Provincial Taxation Bureau and other departments have comprehensively compared the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and closely combined with Hebei's actual situation. Jointly issued in the name of the department.
2. Main content
The "Notice" is divided into 7 parts, including 18 policy measures and 2 safeguard measures. It mainly proposes policy measures to promote the coordinated development of the two types of regions from five aspects.
The first is to coordinate and improve the two types of regional layouts. Further optimize the layout of the comprehensive bonded area, accelerate the construction progress of the comprehensive bonded area in Xiong'an New Area, and start the construction of the second phase of the comprehensive bonded area of Daxing Airport in due course. There are sufficient reasons for the expansion of the area, the industry is well developed, and the land within the original scope has basically been developed and utilized, which meets the requirements of economical and intensive land use. The degree of intensive land use ranks among the top three in the evaluation of land intensive use in development zones of the same type or in the same area in the country. Two-thirds, for comprehensive bonded areas that really have needs, priority will be given to support applications to relevant state ministries and commissions for area expansion. Strengthen planning and overall planning, and rationally arrange public infrastructure and commercial life and other supporting facilities according to the scale and needs of industrial personnel in the two types of regions.
The second is to coordinate and optimize the two types of regional management. Actively optimize the allocation of administrative resources in the relevant areas, further rationalize the management system, and gradually realize the overall management of industrial development, system innovation, investment attraction and talent introduction in the two types of areas. Do a good job in the construction, maintenance and upgrading of the foundation and supervision facilities of the comprehensive bonded area in the area. Optimize enterprise customs credit management, and give priority to credit cultivation for key enterprises in the two types of regions that conform to the national development strategy through "one-on-one" counseling, centralized training, or certification observations. Coordinate customs certification resources and give priority to certification of enterprises in two types of areas.
The third is to make overall use of the two types of regional policies. Focus on key industries, coordinate and formulate high-value and attractive investment promotion and project construction support policies, and focus on attracting foreign-oriented enterprises such as the world's top 500 companies, multinational companies and regional headquarters to settle down. Deepen the reform of "decentralization, regulation and service", strengthen policy interpretation and publicity and guidance, promote reform and innovation in two types of regional trade and investment facilitation, and create an international legalized and convenient business environment. Support the two types of regions to take the lead in fully replicating and promoting the reform pilot experience related to customs in the pilot free trade zone.
The fourth is to coordinate and promote the development of two types of regional industries. Promote the two types of regions to plan the industrial layout based on their respective advantages and functional positioning, coordinate and organize the precise investment promotion of the industrial chain, and focus on supplementing and extending the chain to strengthen the chain. Support enterprises in the area to carry out bonded maintenance business in accordance with the catalog of maintenance products in the comprehensive bonded area; support enterprises in the comprehensive bonded area in the area to carry out bonded maintenance business in accordance with the expanded global maintenance product catalogue, and allow the maintenance of the group’s domestically produced products, which are not subject to the catalog of maintenance products limit. Support Shijiazhuang Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Daxing Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone to develop remanufacturing business in aviation and other fields by taking advantage of airport resources; support Caofeidian Area to apply for the demonstration park of imported high-end equipment remanufacturing industry, and encourage enterprises in Caofeidian Comprehensive Bonded Zone to carry out remanufacturing business such as construction machinery and automobile engines . Support two types of areas to apply for the establishment of customs-designated supervision sites for meat, fruit, and grain, and give priority to the demonstration and evaluation of applications for comprehensive bonded areas in the pilot free trade zone. Accelerate the development of the whole vehicle import port in the Caofeidian Comprehensive Bonded Zone, and apply for the pilot program of parallel import of vehicles after conditions are met; support the establishment of standard compliance rectification sites in the Caofeidian Comprehensive Bonded Zone. Accelerate the construction of Shijiazhuang drug import port.
Fifth, promote two types of regional reform and innovation as a whole. Strengthen the overall planning of reform and innovation, deploy reform and innovation tasks that are conducive to coordinated development according to the respective characteristics of the two types of regions, and explore and carry out synergistic and integrated institutional innovation. Support the high-level implementation of the two types of regions in the high-level implementation of the "Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement" (RCEP) and other free trade agreement related opening measures, implement the implementation procedures of tariff concessions and rules of origin, and actively help enterprises use tariff concessions, accumulation of origin, Rules such as back-to-back certificate of origin open up the RCEP international market. The Caofeidian Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the Daxing Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone will be promoted to apply for the pilot application for VAT general taxpayer qualifications. Promote the Shijiazhuang Comprehensive Bonded Zone to make good use of the pilot policy of VAT general taxpayer qualifications, and expand the scale of pilot enterprises.
At the same time, the "Notice" puts forward safeguard measures in terms of strengthening organizational leadership, compacting work responsibilities, and strengthening risk prevention and control, and promotes the implementation of various policies and measures.
3. Significance
The "Notice" will be conducive to promoting the coordinated development of the special customs supervision area and the Hebei Pilot Free Trade Zone, further exerting the advantages of the two types of areas, realizing complementary advantages and coordinated development, and jointly creating a better business environment at a higher level. The large development space provides strong support for promoting the high-quality development of the Hebei Pilot Free Trade Zone.