By Jia Jinjing
China’s continuous efforts to deepen reform and expand opening-up are paying off. According to the World Bank’s annual doing business report released on Oct. 23, the country is among the top 10 economies where business climates improved the most.
In the latest move to pursue higher-quality opening-up and development, the State Council of China issued a regulation on optimizing business environment. The regulation, released under a decree signed by Premier Li Keqiang, will become effective from Jan 1, 2020.
China has created a more enabling business environment for all market entities through comprehensive implementation of tax and fee cuts under the scheme of supply-side structural reform.
In the first eight months of 2019, tax and fee cuts exceeded 1.5 trillion yuan (about $212.03 billion), further easing corporate burden, increasing incomes and employment, and effectively stimulating market vitality.
The country has rolled out policy measures to provide a broader market for foreign companies, including the additional tax deduction of R&D spending, opening-up in more areas and sectors, shortening the negative list on market access for foreign investors, and significantly easing restrictions on the establishment of foreign financial institutions in China.
Currently, the Chinese market is transitioning from a cost-driven model featuring low price of human capital to a consumption-driven model. The enormous size and the huge potential of domestic demand have made the Chinese market increasingly attractive to foreign investment.
In the first three quarters of the year, the amount of foreign direct investment actually utilized in China increased by 6.5 percent over the same period last year.
Specifically, the utilized foreign investment in the high-tech manufacturing sector grew by 13.7 percent, and that in pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical instruments and equipment manufacturing, as well as electronics and communications equipment manufacturing increased by 40.7%, 33.1% and 10.7% respectively.
The foreign investment data have testified the country’s stronger appeal to foreign investors as it transforms to high-quality development.
China has shifted from a world factory to a world marketplace as it enlarges imports. The world is provided with Chinese goods as the country exports, and with income as the country imports. Companies across the globe are regarding China as a “profit center” when working out their own business strategies.
Besides, Chinese intelligent manufacturing and innovation is changing the country’s reputation for “Made-in-China” goods.
China is becoming the main driver of global economic growth as it has the resilience to maintain stable growth and expands imports amid downward pressure on global economy.
China has the world’s largest middle-income population. The country, which is experiencing market reform amid the new round of industrial revolution, will offer irreplaceable new opportunities for the world.
China’s economic development and its growing economic status represent the progress the country has made in building a sound national governance system and capability, as well as innovation strength in market and industries. It is these factors that have enabled the country to play an increasingly important role in global trade.
China will continue to improve its business environment, promote investment facilitation, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors and better protect intellectual property rights.
To this end, the country will, within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, explore more trading channels through the construction of air, land and maritime transportation routes, forge a new type of cross-border trade system via cross-border e-commerce, and create a trade cooperation platform based on the global free trade area network, thus playing a greater role in the network.
(The author is a research fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China.)
Photo taken on Sept. 8, 2019 shows a busy container terminal unloading cargoes imported and exported in Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang, east China’s Jiangsu province. (Wang Chun/People’s Daily Online)
Consumers choose imported goods at the 2019 Zhejiang International Import Expo on Sept. 12, 2019. (Long Wei/People’s Daily Online)
中国需求成为世界经济增长主要动力
贾晋京
国务院总理李克强日前签署国务院令，公布《优化营商环境条例》，自2020年1月1日起施行。这是中国坚定不移推动更高水平开放、促进高质量发展的有力举措。日前，媒体从世界银行获悉，世行将于近日发布的《2020年营商环境报告》把中国列为过去一年世界上营商环境改善度最高的20个国家之一。
近年，中国营商环境迅速改善，是连续出台的一系列深化改革开放措施的直接反映。作为深化供给侧结构性改革的战略选择之一，全面实施减税降费为市场创造了更加宽松的营商环境。仅在今年前8个月，中国已减税降费超过1.5万亿元，既给企业减了负，又促进了居民收入和就业增加，有效激发了市场活力。中国还推出了包括研发费用加计扣除、扩大对外开放领域、缩减外商投资准入负面清单、大幅度削减在华外资金融机构业务范围限制等政策措施，打造更高水平的市场空间。
中国市场从成本驱动型转向消费驱动型。过去，中国市场以人力资本的低价格为特点。而现在，中国市场的巨大规模和需求潜力才是最大吸引力来源。今年前三季度，中国实际使用外资继续保持增长，同比增长6.5%，其中，高技术制造业实际使用外资增长13.7%，医药制造业、医疗仪器设备及仪器仪表制造业、电子及通信设备制造业实际使用外资同比分别增长40.7%、33.1%和10.7%。这说明中国市场已转向以发展质量吸引投资。
中国从“世界工厂”升级为“世界市场”，“中国进口”日益崛起。中国出口，世界获得的是产品；中国进口，世界获得的是收入。中国正在成为各国企业制定自身经营战略时考虑的“利润中心”。曾经的“中国制造”，正在转向“中国智造”和“中国创造”。在全球面临经济下行压力的情况下，中国经济保持韧性增长，进口市场空间不断扩大，中国需求正在成为世界经济增长主要动力。
中国将在新一轮产业变革中为世界提供新机遇。当今世界，处在百年未有之大变局中。面对新一轮产业革命，中国作为全球中等收入群体人数最多的大市场，正在发生新一轮市场变革，为世界提供无可替代的新机遇。中国经济的发展及其在世界经济中的地位变化，体现出国家治理体系与治理能力及市场、产业等多领域的综合创新，从而使中国市场在当前世界贸易格局中发挥越来越重要的影响。
中国的营商环境将持续优化。中国还会进一步促进投资便利化，保护外商投资合法权益，更加完善地保护知识产权。在“一带一路”合作框架下，以“海陆空管道”基础设施建设完善贸易渠道体系，以跨境电商模式打造新型跨境贸易体系，以遍布全球的自贸区网络为基础搭建贸易合作平台，实现从“接入”到“组网”的角色变化，为世界提供优质营商环境。
（作者为中国人民大学重阳金融研究院院长助理）
9月8日，江苏连云港港集装箱码头卸载进出口货物一派繁忙景象。王春/人民图片
2019年9月12日，顾客在2019浙江国际进口博览会上选购进口商品。 龙巍/人民图片
