China Daily:

In recent years, Anhui has focused on fostering a market-oriented and law-based international business environment, earning a good market reputation. Could you please elaborate on Anhui's efforts and practices in optimizing the business environment? Thank you.

Wang Qingxian:

I'll answer this question. From our perspective, optimizing the business environment requires government efforts, enterprise feedback, and market efficiency in particular. Specifically, the government should respect, understand, and utilize market rules to address market failure and promote market efficiency. That is, the government should respect, understand, and support enterprises' innovation and creativity. In recent years, Anhui has continuously introduced over 800 measures to optimize the business environment. In two consecutive editions of the national survey "Business Environment Evaluation by Ten Thousand Private Enterprises," organized by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, our overall score and reputation have ranked among the top in the country.

German automotive giant Volkswagen launched operations in Anhui as early as 2017. Last year, the company established its largest overseas research, innovation, and procurement center for intelligent networked vehicles in Hefei, with an investment of 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion). In recent years, many world-renowned multinational corporations, such as Corning from the United States and Unilever from the United Kingdom, have expanded their investments in Anhui. Last month, Standard Chartered opened a branch in Hefei. Whether increasing investments or opening local offices, these multinational enterprises are largely attracted by Anhui's favorable business environment.

How can we improve the business environment to better benefit enterprises? Here are three key points from our experience:

First, government's support policies should meet the needs of enterprises. On the one hand, we involve local companies in research, discussions, and the entire policymaking process, creating opportunities for the government and corporations to exchange ideas and communicate effectively. To ensure smooth communication channels, officials from the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee and the provincial government hold symposiums with entrepreneurs every two months. Sometimes, the Standing Committee of the CPC Anhui Provincial Committee even holds work conferences at company offices. A series of policies regarding emerging industries such as new energy and intelligent networked vehicles, the new generation of information technology, and artificial intelligence are formulated based on joint research, discussions, and reviews by government departments, enterprises, business associations, and relevant experts. On the other hand, we have implemented policies efficiently to benefit enterprises directly. In recent years, we have streamlined administration and introduced favorable policies for qualified enterprises by using industrial internet thinking and technology. For example, the "enjoy now without applying" policy allows qualified companies to receive support funds without application. The "apply now and enjoy now" policy guarantees that enterprises receive immediate funds upon application. Big data and other technologies have been used to help identify eligible companies and calculate the amount of funds they can receive. This mode also compels local governments to ensure their policies are feasible. Last year, 11.5 billion yuan in funds were given to enterprises under the "enjoy now without applying" policy.

Second, the rule of law and the government's credibility can win the trust of enterprises. The rule of law secures the best business environment, and law-based administration lays the foundation for a trustworthy government. To regulate the actions of administrative organs in responding to lawsuits, we have taken the initiative to require the head of the sued administrative organ to appear and respond in court since 2022. Since then, the court appearance rate has remained at 100%. In 2023, we implemented the Regulations on Improving the Business Environment in Anhui, setting out provisions on minimum examinations and approvals, market access, and law enforcement related to enterprises. We have established a rapid response mechanism for protecting enterprises' legitimate rights and interests, and efficiently handle enterprise-related lawsuits and intellectual property disputes. We are currently developing an innovation zone for legal affairs, where high-level legal service clusters will be created to provide more professional and higher-quality legal services for enterprises.

Third, the government should improve its administrative efficiency to provide more convenience for enterprises. We set up a special panel for industrial development and formed an efficient coordination mechanism to promote connection among provinces, cities, and counties, as well as advance collaboration among departments at all levels. We established a flat organizational structure to provide more efficient services for enterprises, ensuring their voices are heard and their demands are met in a timely manner. We also introduced online and offline channels to collect enterprises' requests and address their difficulties through a closed-loop management system. This year, we continue to improve our efficiency and make every effort to provide convenience for enterprises. For example, the application materials for starting a transportation company have been cut from 28 items to 12 items, and the processing time has been shortened from 20 days to three days. The application materials for immovable property registration for enterprises have been reduced from eight items to four items. At the same time, the processing time has been cut from five days to only one day. When applying for verification of legal compliance information, companies are now allowed to use a single corporate public credit information report in place of separate non-violation certificates in 40 fields. Thank you.