CCTV:

The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized there will be no irresolution about encouraging, supporting, and guiding non-public sector development. Self-employed individuals are a vital component of this sector. How can the SAMR further promote the development of these individuals and enable them to thrive and contribute more significantly? Thank you.

Pu Chun:

Thank you for your interest in and concern for this group. As of the end of this June, the country had 125 million individuals registered as self-employed, accounting for 66.9% of all business entities. This significant number highlights their active role in stabilizing employment, fostering development and delivering real benefits to the people.

As the supportive "parental home" to these businesses, the market regulatory body will fully leverage their close ties with them. In collaboration with relevant departments, we aim to boost their internal drive and innovative potential through adopting a combination of measures, boosting high-quality development.

Our commitment includes improving mechanisms and measures. Currently, we are conducting research and working out a regulation to promote development and standardize registration management of self-employed individuals. This regulation will specify key initiatives for market regulators to boost the development of these individuals, effectively guiding registration authorities at various levels. We aim to address pivotal challenges such as the transition from individuals to corporate entities, succession of management rights and market exit strategies, thereby facilitating sustainable growth for these businesses.

We will continue strengthening our efforts in promoting the implementation of policies. We are advancing precise and tiered support for individual businesses categorized into three development stages: subsistence, growth and advanced development. This approach provides tailored assistance measures that meet the unique needs of each stage. Additionally, initiatives to recognize and cultivate renowned, distinctive, high-quality or emerging individual businesses are underway, which are expected to set industrial benchmarks and elevate sector standards comprehensively. By the end of this year, we plan to consolidate categorized data to establish a comprehensive national directory of self-employed individuals, ensuring clarity and precision in support initiatives.

We will continue strengthening our efforts in innovating service measures. This September, the SAMR, together with 13 other departments, will host the third National Month of Service for Individual Business Owners, under the theme of "Categorized Assistance, Energizing Vitality, Serving Development." This event will include 11 activities focusing on six themes from promotional training to employment matchmaking, boosting consumer convenience and financial support tailored to ensure the policy implementation and elevate service standards. We have also established a nationwide network for the development of individual businesses, designed to align resources from local governments, industry associations, internet platforms and financial institutions and meet the needs of individual businesses in terms of policy consultation, processing operation permit and business license, financial and tax management, recruitment and employment, and skill training. This network aims to facilitate a supportive ecosystem offering comprehensive, market-oriented, regular services tailored to the nuanced needs of this vibrant sector.