To thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the 19th CPC National Congress and the demands of the State Council’s “Circular on Measures of Expanding Opening-up and Active Use of Foreign Investment” (No. 5 Regulation of the State Council in 2017), “Circular on Measures of Promoting Foreign Investment Growth” (No. 39 Regulation of the State Council in 2017), and “ Circular on Measures of Active and Effective Use of Foreign Investment to Promote High-Quality Economic Development ” (No. 19 Regulation of the State Council in 2018), Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government’s “Guidelines on Policies of Expanding Opening-up and Active Use of Foreign Investment” (No. 33 Regulation of the Jiangsu Provincial Government), “Guidelines on Promoting the Improvement of Quality and Efficiency of Foreign Investment” (No. 67 Regulation of the Jiangsu Provincial Government in 2018) and “Guidelines on Suzhou’s Implementation of Measures on Expanding Opening up and Active Use of Foreign Investment” (No. 68 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017), Suzhou will further expand opening up and construct a world-class business environment featuring rule of law and great convenience to promote high-quality development of foreign investment implementation. The measures adopted are as follows:
1. Market access should be further broadened.
(1) The management system of the pre-establishment national treatment for foreign investment and the negative list on foreign investors should be thoroughly implemented. The management model featuring the negative list on foreign investors should be put into effect with efficiency. The pre-establishment national treatment of foreign investment should be effectively implemented and guaranteed. The new version of the special administrative measures for foreign investment access (the negative list) shall be fully executed. The “Single-Window and Single-Form” system shall be applied when foreign-invested enterprises perform business filing and industrial and commercial registration. The administrative efforts concerning foreign enterprises’ initial filing and related amendment should be further optimized.
Responsible units: Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Administrative Bureau of Industry and Commerce, Suzhou Commission of Development and Reform, Suzhou Bureau of Administrative Examination and Approval, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, and the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(2). Opening-up should be steadily pushed forward. Efforts will be made to implement the new batch of opening-up policies introduced in No. 5 Regulation (2017), No. 39 Regulation (2017) and No. 19 Regulation (2018) by the State Council and No. 33 Regulation (2017) and No. 67 Regulation (2018) by the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government. The depth and expansion of opening-up in the fields of advanced manufacturing and modern services are to be pushed even further. In accordance with the provincial government’s deployment, we will make active attempts to replicate successes achieved by pilot projects in Beijing’s service sectors to expand opening-up. The city is to pilot the innovation and development in services trade and innovation in cross-border yuan trade. We will seek opportunities to pilot the practices of granting access to foreign equity investment enterprises and qualified foreign limited partners (QFLP).
Responsible departments: Suzhou Commission of Development and Reform, the Internet Information Office of Suzhou Municipal Committee of the CPC, Suzhou Commission of Economy and Information Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Transport, Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, Television, Press and Publication, Suzhou Municipal Office of Financial Services, the Suzhou Central Sub-branch of People’s Bank of China, the Suzhou Central Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the Suzhou Branch of China Banking Regulatory Commission, the Suzhou Branch of China Insurance Regulatory Commission, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and S
2. Support for investment introduction and selection should be vigorously strengthened.
(3). Guiding effect of fiscal funds should be brought into play. We will take advantage of the guiding effect of the policy which grants bonus funds if the set goals of foreign investment implementation can be achieved to promote the municipal-level development of foreign investment. Great importance will be attached to performance appraisal and the improvement of drive mechanisms. We will promote the stability, optimal structure and upgraded functions of foreign investment. We encourage all prefectural cities, all districts and development zones at all levels to issue their own preferential policies to attract investments. Our support will be given to all our affiliated units if they intend to supply funds to large-scale projects launched by Fortune 500 enterprises and by enterprises of an internationally forerunner status in their own fields as well as new and high-quality projects in areas of advanced manufacturing, forerunner industries, modern services and modern agriculture.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Commission of Development and Reform, Suzhou Commission of Economy and Information Technology, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of state and provincial-level development zones
(4). Sources of foreign investment should be expanded with the focus on variety. To implement the “Circular on Policy of Temporary Suspension of Withholding Tax Imposed on Overseas Investors Who Use Distributed Profits as Direct Investments” (No. 88 Regulation of the Finance Ministry and the State Taxation Administration in 2017) jointly launched by the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Commerce, those overseas investors who use their distributed profits from resident enterprises within China to make direct investments in projects in encouraged industries, if meeting defined conditions, are entitled to deferred taxes and, therefore, their withholding taxes will be suspended. To apply the “Circular on Improvement of Policy of Tax Credits on Enterprises’ Foreign-Source Income” (No. 84 Regulation of the Finance Ministry and the State Taxation Administration in 2017) jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration, we are to encourage and guide resident enterprises in Suzhou (including the regional headquarters of multinational companies) to use eligible income achieved outside China to invest domestically. We support all districts and prefectural cities to adopt such methods as providing allowances and subsidies measures to guide overseas investors and their Suzhou-based enterprises to turn their profits into local reinvestments, or to increase registered capital of their existing enterprises by means of profits, dividends and capital reserves, or to make equity investment within China by setting up investment companies or equity investment companies in Suzhou.
Overseas investors are encouraged to establish foreign-invested enterprises by conducting mergers and acquisitions of equities and estates of local enterprises with domestic funding. Qualified foreign natural-person investors are allowed to invest in Suzhou’s listed enterprises in accordance with law. We also allow overseas investors to invest in Suzhou enterprises which have been quoted at the National Equities Exchange and Quotations system (NEEQ). We will introduce high-quality foreign investment to participate in reforming and restructuring of large local enterprises and to become business partners in joint ventures and other forms of cooperation with these businesses. We will effectively use foreign investment to take part in the reform of state-owned enterprises by making them feature mixed ownership. A market-oriented method will be adopted to attract international resources, market, technology, talents and other key production factors.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Taxation, Suzhou Development and Reform Commission, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the Suzhou Central Sub-branch of People’s Bank of China, the Suzhou Central Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
3. Resources for opening up and innovation should be pooled together.
(5). Support for foreign-invested R&D institutes should be enhanced. We encourage multinational companies, overseas renowned universities and research institutes to establish research centres and innovation centres with an independent legal person status in Suzhou. “Measures on Building Suzhou into Renowned City Featuring First-Class Innovative Eco-construction and Innovative Entrepreneurship” (No. 62 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2018) is applicable to foreign-invested research institutes as well. We support foreign investors to build new research and development institutes. For those new R&D institutes which are in the construction period, we offer financial aids of different categories in installments, which is up to 10 million yuan. For those established ones, a subsidy up to 20% of their previous-year R&D costs covered by non-fiscal funds for three consecutive years. Each institute is annually entitled to a subsidy up to 5 million yuan. We support foreign businessmen to invest and establish open innovation platforms in various forms. We encourage multinational companies, overseas enterprises and their overseas teams to introduce innovative resources. We will also give encouragement to foreign-invested enterprises for setting up provincial and above-level industrial (technological) innovation centres concerning forerunner industries. Newly-built national-level industrial (technological) innovation centres can receive construction funds up to 5 million yuan. Newly-built provincial-level industrial (technological) innovation centres are entitled to construction funds up to 3 million yuan. We will give support to foreign-invested enterprises to undertake or participate in the construction of national and provincial-level innovation centres concerning manufacturing industry. Newly recognized national and provincial-level manufacturing innovation centres will receive rewards up to 5 million yuan. We also uphold that foreign-invested research and development institutes (including R&D departments within enterprises) may take part in both the construction of public service platforms for research and technology at national, ministerial, provincial and local levels and governmental sci-tech plan projects. These institutes, similar to domestically invested entities, are entitled to counterpart funds and can benefit from applicable tax-relief policies as well. To meet the requirements in “Circular on Continuous Validity of Value-Added Tax Policy Imposed on Equipment Purchase of Research and Development Institutes” issued by the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration Ministry and the Ministry of Commerce (No. 121 Regulation of MF, STAM and MC in 2016), we apply preferential tax policies for eligible foreign-invested research and development centres when they purchase domestically made equipment. The foreign-invested sci-tech service institutes which have passed performance assessment, will be awarded subsidies up to 300, 000 yuan. For foreign-invested R&D institutes which join large-scale sharing service platform for scientific instruments in Suzhou, we will offer a subsidy up to 300, 000 yuan after assessing their performances. Transformation of foreign-invested R&D institutes’ achievements allows these entities to equally enjoy relevant preferential policies and financial supports in areas of land, talents and funds.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Science and Technology, Suzhou Development and Reform Commission, Suzhou Commission of Economy and Information Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Taxation, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(6) More facilitation should be given to the customs clearance of research and development supplies. We will allow foreign-invested research and development centres to adopt the customs clearance mode featuring application for inspection in advance, declaration reservation and actual commodity clearance when they import R&D-related equipment, reagents and samples. We also permit these centres to import second-hand key equipment for research and development in bond (the period of stay in China for the equipment should be no more than 1 year). The biosafety control system for special articles based on the “credit management for enterprises, risk assessment for products and biosafety management for enterprises” should be further improved. We will probe into the practice of enterprise classification management. The former practice of issuing batch-by-batch approval for low-risk bio-products will be replaced by the new way of issuing annual approval and verification in batches. The procedures concerning the import of R&D samples, specimens and reagents needed by foreign-invested R&D centres will be made more facilitating. We will push further the pilot reform in SIP of inspection and quarantine for inbound and outbound special articles. This policy will be gradually expanded to the whole city.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Customs House, Suzhou Customs House (the former Suzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau), people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(7) More efforts will be spared on talents introduction. Foreign-invested enterprises will be awarded when introducing eligible high-end talents. Among these enterprises, those which introduce or nurture top talents will be given an award up to 5 million yuan. If key innovation teams are introduced, the enterprises will be awarded 1 million yuan. The foreign-invested enterprises which introduce leading talents or apply for the leading-talent status for their own staff will be awarded 500, 000 yuan.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Municipal Office of Talents Services, Suzhou Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(8) Convenient services for foreign talents and personnel of foreign enterprises will be further improved. Suzhou’s role as a one-stop high-end talents service centre should be fully explored to offer convenient, efficient, standard and professional comprehensive services to high-end talents within and outside China. To carry out the “Regulations on Visa Issuance for Foreign Talents” effected by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security (No. 218 of Regulation of the Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs in 2017), the Ministry of Public Security authorized Suzhou to introduce seven new entry-exit measures. We will improve foreign talents assessment criteria, expand visa issuance range, and ease visa extension. Therefore, eligible foreign talents may apply for a five-year multiple-entry talent visa (R visa), and, with the above-mentioned visa, apply for work permits and corresponding residence permits and papers. For foreign talents employed by local enterprises, if eligible, they may apply for a five-to-ten-year talent visa by presenting their Letter of Confirmation for High-Level International Talents. We encourage Chinese personnel in foreign-invested enterprises to apply for APEC business travel cards. Local governments (administrative committees) should offer necessary services, by following the principle of “relatively nearby enrollment in accordance with the law”, to foreign high-end talents’ demands for their children’s enrollment in kindergartens, primary schools or high schools. Relevant administrative departments of education should coordinate and offer help, in accordance with the principle of “abidance by the law with appropriate care”, to high-level overseas returnees if their children have the demands to enroll in international schools in Suzhou.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Municipal Office of Talents Services, Suzhou Bureau of Public Security, Suzhou Bureau of Education, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Foreign Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(9) Foreign-invested headquarters economy should be developed with a quickened pace. To implement the provincial-level supportive policies for encouraging multinational corporations to set up regional headquarters and other functional agencies and the municipal-level supportive policies for developing headquarters economy, we will optimize guidance for special funds and expand services for providing enterprises with convenience in terms of operation management. The cooperation and coordination of provincial and municipal-level policies concerning headquarters economy will be strengthened. We are to establish a municipal-level green channel for headquarters enterprises’ approval. Regional headquarters and other functional agencies of multinational corporations approved of by provincial authorities can be directly qualified as municipal-level headquarters enterprises if they meet related criteria. In accordance with “Guidelines on Encouraging Multinational Corporations to Set up Regional Headquarters and Other Functional Agencies in Jiangsu Province” (No. 79 Regulation of Jiangsu Provincial Government in 2015), start-up subsidies up to 5 million yuan and 1 million will be granted to provincially approved regional headquarters and other functional agencies of multinational corporations. In addition, these headquarters and agencies are also entitled to housing subsidies for three consecutive years. According to “Guidelines on Promoting Quick Development of Headquarter Economy” (No.1 Regulation of Suzhou Municipal Government in 2016), municipal-level headquarters enterprises are entitled to an award up to 10 million yuan for their contributions to local social and economic development. Talents at headquarter enterprises will be awarded as well. The above-mentioned enterprises with awards should spare 20% and 10% of the awarded money to reward senior management personnel and specialized talents respectively. We will step up our service efforts to promote actual functioning, business volume absorption and growth of economic and social contribution of foreign-invested headquarters enterprises. We will open up one-stop service green channel for qualified foreign-invested regional headquarters and other functional agencies. The enterprises may make it a routine to report operation difficulties and problems to the Municipal Office of Headquarters Economy Development and make specified demands for services. The Office will timely coordinate efforts from its member units to help find solutions.
Responsible departments: member units of the Leading Group for Development of Headquarters Economy affiliated to Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
4. Guarantee for production factors should be enhanced.
(10) Supplies of production factors should be optimized. Supportive policies for land and house use in foreign-invested projects introduced in No.5, No. 39, No. 19 Regulations issued by the State Council and No. 33 and No. 67 Regulations issued by the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government should be effectively carried out. We support the foreign-invested industrial projects encouraged by the state government to apply for annual major projects at provincial and municipal levels. The land use plan of those elected projects will be guaranteed with priority given. Taking all actual demands and performance assessment results of the growth of development zones into consideration, we will give policy support concerning land use for those listed among top 10 economic development zones and those listed among top 5 high-tech industrial development zones in Jiangsu based on the results of annual overall assessment. To put “Suzhou Municipal Government’s Guidelines on Flexible Term of Industrial Land Transfer” (No. 11 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2016) into practice, the flexible term of transfer of industrial land will be widely applied to lower the land use costs for enterprises. We encourage foreign-invested enterprises to revitalize and make proper use of land stock by following “Guidelines on Promoting Re-development of Low-Efficiency Land Parcels for Construction Purposes to Raise Level of Comprehensive Land Utilization” (No. 60 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017). For those which use housing stock to develop manufacturing-based services, maker spaces and other new forms of industries and business formats, the transition-period policy allowing them to use the land according to its original use and use-right category should be applied. The interim period will last for five years. After the period, the enterprises may proceed through land-use procedures on the basis of related agreements reached. During the new round of transfer, the land can assume its new use, new right type and current market price. If the land is listed in the Catalogue of Allocated Land, the transfer may be conducted according to the procedures specific for allocated land. For foreign-invested projects in three special service industries, namely the industry of science and education and R&D, culture-based designing industry, and industries of headquarters economy, the corresponding land use policy should be applied in accordance with “Guidelines on Transfer of Construction Land for Projects in Special Service Industries in Suzhou” (No. 217 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2011). We encourage foreign-invested industries to work on the premise that requirements for planning and safety should be met and the use of the land should not be altered when they re-structure the original factory housing by adding new floors, expand plot ratio and raise use-efficiency of the land. We support foreign-invested enterprises to adopt scientific methods in employment to satisfy demands for flexible employment by introducing labor contracts with definite completion periods for specific tasks and short-term labor contracts with fixed time limits. Administrative services for integrated working-hour systems and non-regular working-hour systems adopted by foreign-invested enterprises shall be optimized. More efforts should be spared to draw on experiences further from the German mode and other internationally advanced modes of dual-system vocational education. We will introduce worldly renowned dual-system vocational education institutes and expand their cooperation with relevant local entities so as to increase sufficient human resource supplies for foreign-invested enterprises. To implement the municipal government’s “Guidelines on Further Enhancing Financial Support for Manufacturing Enterprises” (No. 72 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017) and “Suzhou Municipal Government’s Specific Policies on Financial Support for Development of Manufacturing Industry” (No. 46 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2018), we will make good use of various financial service tools to meet the varied needs of foreign-invested corporate entities in terms of financing. The establishment of Suzhou’s integrated financial service platform, service platform for equity financing and other financial support platforms should be quickened to provide enterprises with more financing channels. Foreign-invested enterprises may employ such financing methods as the issuance of bonds at the overseas capital market and corporate listing. For those enterprises which have achieved IPO at the domestic main-board market, small and medium enterprise board markets (SME) and growth enterprise market (GEM), we will offer each of them a subsidy of 500, 000 yuan. A subsidy of 300, 000 yuan will be offered to each of the enterprises listed in the NEEQ system (National Equities Exchange and Quotation).
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Land and Resources, Suzhou Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Suzhou Bureau of Education, Suzhou Municipal Office of Financial Services, Suzhou Development and Reform Commission, Suzhou Commission of Economy and Information Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Science and Technology, Suzhou Municipal Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Suzhou Bureau of Urban Planning, Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, Television, Press and Publication, Suzhou Commission of Health and Family Planning, Suzhou Bureau of Sports, Suzhou Municipal Commission of State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of state and provincial-level development zones
5. Platforms and carriers of investment introduction should be optimized.
(11) Innovation-driven growth of development zones should be steadily pushed forward. To actualize the municipal government’s guidelines on advancing the reform and innovative growth of all the development zones in the city, we will focus on the establishment of innovation clusters with respectively distinct features and the enhancement of earth give rate, recycling rate of resources and penetration rate of digitalization of manufacturing. We will also take these focuses as our goals to make solid moves in building up innovation-driven industries with distinctive features in national-level development zones, boosting green recycling economy, and quickening the pace of city-industry integration. To put “Proposed Regulations on Comprehensive Assessment Scheme for Provincial and above-level Development Zones in Suzhou” (No. 134 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017), the innovation-driven development of provincial and above-level development zones will be assessed in a more scientific and comprehensive way and incentives and awards will be further accelerated. Stronger support will be given to sci-tech innovation in national and provincial-level high-tech zones. Support in terms of guidance and policy should be reinforced for the construction of national-level eco-industrial demonstration parks in development zones. In conformity with the master plans for land use and urban planning, we support qualified national-level development zones to apply for area extension, area re-adjustment, integration of neighboring and nearby development zones and establishment of enclave parks. Convenience in such areas as readjustment in planning and simplified administrative approval will be offered accordingly for low-efficiency land stock. We also encourage foreign-invested enterprises to participate in the construction and operation of sub-parks within development zones and multi-park development zones.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Science and Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Land and Resources, Suzhou Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Suzhou Bureau of Urban Planning, Suzhou Bureau of Environmental Protection, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of state and provincial-level development zones
(12) Replication and spread of pioneering and piloting policies should be strengthened. The comprehensive experiment on opening-up and innovation in SIP should be deepened, and comprehensive pilot areas with the focus on a new system for higher-level open economy should be constructed. Kunshan should deepen its building of cross-strait industrial cooperation pilot zone. Experimental reform experiences from these projects should be gradually spread to the whole city. Experiences gained from reform and innovation of free trade zone should be learnt more closely to actualize the state-level policies and measures. Solid action should be taken to conduct innovative piloting efforts and carry out supportive policies in areas of innovation-driven development in service trade, cross-border e-commerce, construction of supply chain systems, and the mode of market procurement trade. We will propel the formation of high-end industrial clusters in the Customs House’s special supervision areas and the expansion of their functions. The administration system of account books featuring “one registration for repeated use” will be improved. Supervision for status-based storage cargo categorization should be promoted. The administrative work concerning cargo registration at case should be further optimized. Innovative efforts should be made to improve administrative modes applied for research and development, designing, test and inspection, repair and maintenance and other manufacturing-specific services at the customs house. We are supportive to foreign-invested enterprises when they launch operations in areas of test and inspection and repair and maintenance at home and abroad characterizing high technology, high value added, and controllable environment risks. We will intensify pilot projects on general taxpayer status for enterprises’ value-added taxes in customs special supervision areas in SIP Comprehensive Bonded Area, Kunshan Comprehensive Bonded Area, SND Comprehensive Bonded Area, and Wujiang Comprehensive Bonded Area.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Development and Reform Commission, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Municipal Office of Financial Services, Suzhou Bureau of Taxation, Suzhou Customs House, Suzhou Customs House (the former Suzhou Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau), the Suzhou Central Sub-branch of People’s Bank of China, the Suzhou Central Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the Suzhou Branch of China Banking Regulatory Commission, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of state and provincial-level development zones
(13) Construction of cooperative systems and platforms should be advanced. Depending on support from China-Singapore Joint Steering Council, the inter-ministerial and inter-provincial joint conference system of Kunshan Pilot Zone for Deepening Cross-Strait Industrial Cooperation, Singapore-Jiangsu Cooperation Council, Jiangsu-Hong Kong Cooperation Joint Conference, Summit for Commercial and Industrial Development of Jiangsu, Macao and Portuguese-Speaking Countries, agreements on friendly exchange between Suzhou and its international friendly cities and other inter-governmental cooperation systems, we are to take advantage of such investment and talents introduction platforms as regular communication systems between the city and multinationals and events like “Venture Week for International Elites in Suzhou” to further deepen international cooperation in the area of investment making. Following the principle of resource sharing, complementarity of strengths, mutual growth and benefits”, we will quicken the construction of local and overseas cooperative and industrial parks, including China-Germany (Taicang) Industrial Innovation Cooperation Pilot Zone, the Oriental Industrial Park in Ethiopia, and Jiangsu Ketapang Agriculture and Forestry Eco-Industrial Park. Moreover, optimal efforts should be made for stock resources allocation. Prospects for investment and cooperation will be expanded. The network of investment introduction channels will be extended as well.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Municipal Office of Talents Services, Suzhou Bureau of Education, Suzhou Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, Foreign Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
6. Business environment should be optimized.
(14) Strong efforts should be spared to protect intellectual property rights in the possession of foreign-invested enterprises. Reform in administrative systems of intellectual property right management and law enforcement. The system and function of the municipal Leading Group for Combating Infringement and Counterfeiting should be improved. We are to integrate administrative law enforcement forces to crack down various infringements and illegal activities concerning intellectual property rights possessed by foreign-invested enterprises, including patent infringements, infringements of right to exclusive use of trademarks and Internet-based infringements and piracies. The deterring acts of bad faith related to intellectual property rights will be included in the credit information publicity system. We will also improve the mechanism for intellectual property right protection and related assistance. Institutes engaged in providing protection and aid should be established in all prefectural cities (counties) and districts. The funds for IPR protection and aid should also be increased. The function of China (Suzhou) IPR Protection Centre and Suzhou Service Centre of IPR Protection and the Handling of Complaints and Reports should be fully implemented. The improvement of IPR reports and complaints mechanism and emergency response mechanism should be conducted. We will push forward the construction of the state IPR services cluster in Suzhou and improve the function of Jiangsu International IPR Operation and Trading Centre. The ability to offer such high-end services as IPR-related transfer and transformation, personnel training and incubation of sci-tech achievements should be enhanced. Foreign-invested enterprises should be encouraged to take advantage of the wide coverage of cross-regional centralized jurisdiction under Suzhou IPR Tribunal and legal entities’ rich experience in handling IPR cases to actively take legal actions to solve IPR disputes and protect their lawful rights and interests.
Responsible departments: member units of the Leading Group for Combating Infringement and Counterfeiting affiliated to Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, Suzhou Public Credit Information Centre, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(15) Multiple measures should be taken to help enterprises lower comprehensive costs. Strict implementation of state, provincial and municipal-level tax and fee reduction policies should be conducted to make all foreign-invested enterprise tax payers entitled to related preferential policies. We will work even harder to put into effect preferential polices targeting at new and high-tech enterprises, high-tech-oriented service enterprises, venture-capital invested enterprises and transfer of Scientific and technological achievements. Tax policies concerning extra tax reduction of R&D expenses, enterprises’ assets restructuring, integrated use of resources, and energy conservation and emission reduction should be put into full play. To implement “Measures on Reinforcing Construction of Ecosystem of Intelligent Manufacturing” (No. 49 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2018) issued by the municipal government, we will support foreign-invested enterprises to carry out smart technology-based reform, conduct researches in the field of applied technology of intelligent manufacturing and construct relevant standardized systems. We will continue to intensify efforts to standardize the collection of intermediary service fees, publicize information about charges collected by chambers of commerce and trade associations, and enhance law enforcement efforts over monopoly industries. We will also work to overhaul and standardize inspection and supervision mechanism for business-related charges, clear away and standardize business-related charges. More convenience will be provided to enterprises for their use of capital. We will continue working to improve pilot projects with a focus on unified macroprudential management of cross-border financing and integrated management of multinationals’ capital in foreign exchange. “Fund pool” management will be simplified as well. We will allow banks to review the authenticity and legitimacy of digital documents and offer enterprises services in areas of integrated collection and payment of foreign currencies and balance offsetting. Overseas investors’ legitimate profits are protected. They can remit dividends and other forms of investment income at their free will, and are allowed to go straight to foreign exchange-designated banks for these services. According to their actual operational needs, these enterprises may remit their profits in the type of currency upon their own choices. We will improve the infrastructure of logistics and transportation and promote the development of multimodal transport. Operation and service charges throughout the transportation process will be cleared away. The construction of supply chain system and pilot projects of innovation and related application concerning supply chains will be pushed forward. We will strive to lower enterprises’ logistic costs.
Responsible departments: Suzhou Bureau of Taxation, Suzhou Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform, Suzhou Development and Reform Commission, Suzhou Commission of Economy and Information Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Science and Technology, Suzhou Bureau of Finance, Suzhou Bureau of Transport, Suzhou Bureau of Commerce, Suzhou Bureau of Environmental Protection, Suzhou Bureau of Price Control, Suzhou Municipal Commission of State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration, Suzhou Bureau of Administrative Examination and Approval, the Suzhou Central Sub-branch of People’s Bank of China, the Suzhou Central Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(16) Fair and equal policy implementation environment should be created. We will fully apply the municipal government’s policy of further optimizing business environment and build good innovative ecosystem to safeguard that the subject of foreign investment is equally entitled to post-establishment national treatment. We will endeavor to shatter barriers to the application for business qualifications, and participation in government procurement, development of public service projects and scientific research projects as well as the setting of standards. To enforce the municipal government’s “Guidelines on Introducing the Inspection Mechanism of Fair Competition in the Improvement of the Market System” (No. 110 of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017), policies containing elements of exclusion and restriction for competition will gradually be cleared away, and the transparency of inspection and administration will be enhanced. We will strive to better the foreign investment service environment characteristic of sufficient legislative support, wide spread of related knowledge to enterprises, appropriate discretion and definite time limits for services. We will take solid steps to increase foreign-invested enterprises’ anticipation for policy execution. To make full application of “The Supreme People’s Court’s Circular on Full Implementation of Judicial Functions to Build Good Legislative Environment for Entrepreneurs’ Innovation and Business Startups” (No. 1 Regulation of the Supreme Court in 2018) and to strictly follow the municipal government’s “Guidelines on Reinforcement of Integrity Construction for Administrative Affairs” (No. 275 Regulation of the Suzhou Municipal Government in 2017), administrative integrity in the area of business and investment introduction should be strengthened and legitimate rights of honest foreign business entities are protected in accordance with law.
Responsible departments: member units of the Leading Group for the Coordination of Development of Open Economy, Suzhou Municipal Intermediate People’s Court, Suzhou Bureau of Price Control, Legislative Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, Suzhou Bureau of Administrative Examination and Approval, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
(17) The whole-process service system for enterprises should be improved. Depending on the municipal coordination leading group mechanism of the development of opening-up economy, we will fully apply routine functions of the leading group office undertaken by the municipal commercial administration sector to improve introduction and follow-up services concerning major foreign-invested projects. At the municipal level, we will adopt the case-by-case method for those high-quality pioneering projects which are of strategic importance and play an exemplary role in the development of the city’s modern industrial system and the development of leading industries, advanced manufacturing industry and modern services industry. For these projects, we will also be strict with inspective efforts in the approval of application and construction when chemicals, hazardous substances, medicine and food are involved, and strengthen comprehensive coordinate efforts for the allocation of such resource factors as land, environment and energy. All prefectural governments, all departments concerned and development zones at all levels should work to ensure smooth project alignment for business introduction, preparations-oriented guidance and administration of project access. Moreover, we will further reforms to streamline administration and delegate power, improve regulation, and upgrade services. Non-meeting approval service will be introduced and promoted as well. We will strive to better end-to-end supervision and related local administrative mechanisms. Supervision and inspection of the establishment and amendment of business registration concerning foreign-funded enterprises will be regularized in accordance with law. The list of authorization of end-to-end approval right to national-level development zones will be fully applied. We will strive to expand reform pilots on relative concentration of administrative approval right. Efforts will be spared to push forward regional environmental impact assessment, regional capacity level plus regional energy consumption, environment labeling and integration of multiple assessment schemes. We will quicken our steps in professional planning work in the areas of economic growth, land use, ecological and environmental protection, emerging industries and social programmes in development zones to achieve the integration of multiple regulations. All prefectural governments, all departments concerned and development zones at all levels are encouraged to innovate with project (enterprise)-based service systems and mechanisms. To meet the needs of time, improvement should made in such areas as service channels for enterprises and communication mechanism for key enterprises and projects. End-to-end and targeted services should be enhanced. With the help of the pro-business concept, single-window and one-stop services and efficient quality service ecosystem, all prefectural governments and departments concerned should advance to launch programmes of services for foreign-funded enterprises and major projects promotion. We will acquire a thorough knowledge of enterprises’ demands for start of operation and production and transformation and upgrading. We will pay visits to businesses to promote policies and offer services, so that each enterprise knows from whom they can seek help when they have difficulties. Inter-department cooperation should be further strengthened to make quick and concentrated efforts to solve distinct problems enterprises have met in re-building and expansion, productivity improvement, and function extension. We should promptly respond to every case and make every case have a solution.
Responsible departments: people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of state and provincial-level development zones, member units of the Leading Group for the Coordination of Development of Open Economy, Suzhou Municipal Commission Office of Public Sectors Reform, Suzhou Bureau of Administrative Examination and Approval, Legislative Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government
(18) Specialized business introduction should be fully promoted. In conformity with the guiding principle of building Suzhou into an advanced manufacturing base with international competitiveness, a sci-tech innovation highland with international influence (“One Base and One Highland”), the benchmarks of a high-level well-off society and a model with Jiangsu traits for the road of modernization with Chinese characteristics (“Two Benchmarks”), and a city integrating four images, namely “a modern industrial city with international competitiveness”, “an open and inclusive city for innovation and entrepreneurship”, “an affluent and civilized city appropriate for residence” and “a cultural city with a glorious history” (“Four Famous Cities”), we will determine key target industries in accordance with local conditions when introducing investments. We will continue to introduce investments by highlighting local traits as well. We will advance the organizational structure transfer from the traditional region-oriented investment introduction type to a new one featuring dominance of industrial chain with a focus on key links in value chain and innovation chain and the impact of cross-region cooperation. A multi-layer and diversified policy system for business introduction should be constructed. We will carry out the municipal government’s measures on promotion of reform and innovation, proper performance of duties, and tolerance for and correction of faults. General situations for fault tolerance and specific one for individual cases should be made clear. We will support all prefectural governments when they are to introduce preferential policies for business attraction and investment introduction within their legitimate rights. Support will also be provided to them when they conduct policy innovation and related pioneering exploration in accordance with laws and regulations. We will improve “Interim Measures on Appraisal and Reward for Performances of Objectives Achievement in Foreign Investment Implementation”, better the appraisal and incentive mechanism for performances in achieving objectives set for foreign investment introduction, enhance targeted incentives and promote corresponding guiding effect. The construction of high-level business introduction team will be steadily advanced. Support will also be given to departments (entities) of business and investment introduction in national-level development zones for their exploration into the possibility of more flexible personnel system, and expansion of training channels and methods of nurturing professional personnel for business introduction. We encourage districts to adopt a market-oriented mode for business introduction and explore the possibility of an integrated organizational structure for attracting investments by combining governmental functions and market-based mechanism. We will also explore the possibility of setting up a more flexible personnel recruitment system and remuneration system. The administrative and service support for overseas trips taken by delegations and groups for trade and investment purposes and specialized business introduction officials will be further improved. We will push the sharing of information concerning investment intents and projects among all departments concerned. Joint efforts for business introduction services will be reinforced. We will organize various promotions for major investment projects as well. The publicity efforts for the promotion of Suzhou’s image and favorable investment environment will be steadily intensified. We will enhance our efforts to communicate pragmatically with multinational companies. The mechanism for regularized communication should be bettered. We will set up and improve the assessment mechanism for high-quality development based on foreign investment implementation and business environment. Transmission of duties and responsibilities will be strengthened as well.
Responsible departments: member units of the Leading Group for the Coordination of Development of Open Economy, Suzhou Municipal Committee of Discipline Inspection, Suzhou Municipal Committee of Supervision, the Organization Department of CPC Suzhou Committee, Supervision Office of the Organization Department of CPC Suzhou Committee, Supervision Office of Suzhou Municipal People’s Government, people’s governments of prefecture-level cities and all districts, the administrative committees of SIP and SND
All prefectural cities and development zones should attach great importance to foreign investment implementation in the new era. Organization and Guidance together with supportive policies and measures should be strengthened. Varied methods should be adopted to actively publicize policies for promoting foreign investment implementation at national, provincial and municipal levels. Intensified efforts will be made to create a favorable climate to push high-quality growth of foreign investment forward. All prefectural cities (districts) and development zones may act according to the guidelines in this document to further their respective policies and measures for local foreign investment growth. Governments at all levels under Suzhou municipal government and development zones at all levels should take stronger action to carry out policies, build policy-implementation mechanism and the system of responsibility and accountability, innovate executive methods and measures and expand the depth and range of policy implementation. Suzhou Bureau of Commerce should cooperate with related departments to enhance coordination, guidance and supervision to ensure solid application of the policies and measures and fully facilitate high-quality development of Suzhou’s implementation of foreign investment.