Original Title: Notice from the General Office of the Tangshan Municipal People’s Government on Issuing the “Several Measures for Promoting the Development and Growth of the Private Economy in Tangshan”
To further optimize the development environment for the private sector and promote its sustained growth and strengthening, in accordance with the spirit of the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Sector" (Zhong Fa [2023] No. 15) and the "Notice of the General Office of the People’s Government of Hebei Province on Issuing Several Measures to Promote the Development and Expansion of the Private Sector" (Ji Zheng Ban Fa [2023] No. 7), and in light of the actual conditions of our city, the following measures are proposed.
I. Creating a Development Environment with Fair Competition
(1) Continuously Remove Market Access Barriers. Conscientiously implement the negative list system for market access, and promote the equal and lawful entry of all types of business entities into industries, sectors, and business areas not included on the list.In all administrative approval processes, any intermediary services or technical review items lacking legal or regulatory basis shall be abolished. We will ensure unimpeded channels for market entities to report hidden barriers and continuously improve the mechanisms for handling and responding to such reports. We will regularly identify, compile, and publicize typical cases that violate the market access negative list system.
(2) Fully implement fair competition policies and systems. Uphold the principle of treating all market entities equally and without discrimination; no policies affecting the economic activities of market entities may be introduced without undergoing a fair competition review. Implement the list of measures to prevent improper interference in the development of the national unified market, and eliminate policies that contain elements of local protectionism, market segmentation, or designated transactions—all of which hinder the unified market and fair competition. Implement “double-blind” evaluation for all public procurement projects subject to open bidding.
(3) Improve the social credit system. Promote the reform of replacing proof of non-violation with specialized credit reports for market entities, and enhance the application of credit information. Compile a list of measures for punishing dishonesty, improve the joint reward and punishment system, and implement penalties for dishonesty in accordance with laws and regulations. Explore and advance a synchronized credit repair mechanism between “Credit Tangshan,” “Credit Hebei,” and the “Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System,” gradually achieving “coordinated action and one-stop online processing” for credit repair.Conduct special cleanup campaigns for enforcement cases involving Party and government agencies and special campaigns to rectify government administrative breaches of trust; establish ledgers and regularly supervise matters where commitments have not been fulfilled on time.
(4) Improve market-oriented and rule-of-law-based restructuring mechanisms. Establish a government-court coordination mechanism for enterprise bankruptcy, a fast-track adjudication mechanism for simple bankruptcy cases, and a pre-restructuring system. Improve the system for bankruptcy administrators, strengthen their responsibility to perform duties in accordance with the law, and enhance the quality and efficiency of market-driven restructuring and exit. Implement the registration system for business suspension.
II. Strengthening Support for Key Development Factors of Private Enterprises
(1) Increase Financial Support. Promote service models such as “Credit-Easy Loan,” upgrade and improve the Tangshan City Financing Credit Service Platform, facilitate end-to-end loan disbursement, enhance the level of financing credit services, attract more enterprises to join the platform, and increase the proportion of credit loans for private enterprises. Encourage and support financial institutions to increase credit allocation to small, medium, and micro enterprises, and guide government-backed financing guarantee institutions to lower their comprehensive financing guarantee rates.Encourage banking institutions to reduce corporate financing costs by appropriately lowering loan interest rates, improving loan renewal policies, and increasing the availability of unsecured and medium- to long-term loans. Leverage the role of the “Beijing Stock Exchange and National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) Tangshan Service Base,” implement the “Tangshan City Enterprise Listing Action Plan,” and promote the listing of private enterprises. Timely disburse rewards and subsidies to listed private enterprises in accordance with relevant regulations.
(2) Intensify efforts to clear overdue payments to SMEs. Strictly implement the "Regulations on the Payment of Amounts Owed to Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises." Following the principles of "local management, graded responsibility, and accountability based on supervision," intensify efforts to clear overdue payments to SMEs. Develop implementation plans for debt clearance, establish detailed ledgers of overdue payments to enterprises within each county, district, and sector, and specify the responsible entity, resolution method, and timeline for each case to ensure that all undisputed debts are fully settled.Strengthen governance at the source: government-invested projects shall not be approved unless the source of funds has been fully substantiated and effectively secured. Enhance audit oversight of arrears owed by government agencies, public institutions, and state-owned enterprises to small, medium, and micro enterprises. Implement credit punishment measures for acts of defaulting on payments to small and medium-sized enterprises in accordance with laws and regulations.
(3) Strengthen support for talent and labor force needs. Implement regulations on public services for personnel files of migrant workers. Utilizing the “Hebei Human Resources and Social Security Integrated Platform” and the “Migrant Worker Personnel File System,” establish “one-stop service windows” to provide “one-stop services,” “inter-provincial processing,” and “fully online processing” for the receipt, transfer, certification, and political review of migrant workers’ personnel files.Compile and publish the *Annual Tangshan City Shortage Talent Demand Catalog*; organize events such as the “High-Level Shortage Talent Recruitment Service Month,” “Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Experts Visit Tangshan,” and the “Spring Breeze” and “Spring Rain” recruitment series to attract talent and expertise to private enterprises.
(4) Strengthen the development of the industrial workforce. Streamline talent evaluation channels for non-publicly owned enterprises and further break down barriers related to household registration, geography, status, personnel files, and employment relationships. Establish a “green channel” for professional title evaluation, allowing talent from private enterprises to be directly awarded the appropriate professional title upon their first application based on their professional competence and work performance.Guide enterprises to establish a special collective contract system for enhancing employees’ skills and competencies, ensure the lawful and compliant allocation and use of employee education and training funds, formulate training plans tailored to the enterprise’s actual needs, and improve training systems. Extensively organize on-the-job training, technical competitions, and labor contests, and host municipal-level vocational skills competitions such as the Tangshan Craftsmen Vocational Skills Competition and the Employee Vocational Skills Competition.
(5) Establish mechanisms for policy communication and direct, rapid access to benefits. When adjusting business-related policies, relevant procedures shall be followed in accordance with laws and regulations, and reasonable transition periods shall be established. After policies are issued, they shall be directly released and explained to private enterprises and individual business operators.Government departments at all levels shall consult with outstanding entrepreneurs when formulating enterprise-related policies, plans, and standards, as well as when conducting evaluations, to leverage the role of entrepreneurs. Efforts shall be made to ensure that funds designated for private enterprises reach their intended recipients quickly and efficiently; funds earmarked for specific projects shall be promptly allocated to counties (cities, districts) to ensure they are not withheld, misappropriated, or embezzled.
III. Fostering a Fair and Standardized Legal Environment
(1) Protect the rights and interests of private enterprises and entrepreneurs in accordance with the law. Strengthen judicial review of pre-litigation and litigation preservation measures, strictly regulate the scope of entities subject to seizure, and rigorously examine the qualifications of guarantors to prevent the seizure, detention, or freezing of property beyond authorized limits in terms of scope, amount, or duration. Implement a criminal policy that balances leniency and strictness, and exercise caution in applying compulsory measures involving personal liberty and property in accordance with the law.Establish a “green channel” for enterprise-related cases and optimize one-stop litigation services; prioritize the scheduling and adjudication of such cases to alleviate the litigation burden on enterprises. Strengthen the enforcement of judgments in enterprise-related cases to ensure the effective realization of rights awarded to prevailing parties. Establish a mechanism for specialized collegiate panels to hear appeals and retrial cases involving enterprises, along with a tiered reporting system, to ensure unimpeded access to appeal channels. Develop the 12309 Procuratorial Enterprise Service Hotline and open a “fast track” for the acceptance and handling of enterprise-related petition cases.Deepen pilot reforms on compliance programs for enterprises involved in cases; for those meeting the conditions for compliance rectification, promptly incorporate them into the procedures of the compliance system for enterprises involved in cases.
(2) Continuously improve the intellectual property protection system. Strictly implement the “Hebei Province Regulations on the Protection and Promotion of Intellectual Property” and address “malicious trademark registration” practices.Actively implement the rapid handling mechanism for intellectual property infringement and non-litigation administrative enforcement, adopting a “dual-track system” that combines judicial and administrative measures for intellectual property protection. Intensify efforts to investigate and punish serious trademark infringement cases characterized by wide geographical scope, prolonged duration, high monetary stakes, and severe negative impact, and prevent the occurrence of regional and large-scale infringement and counterfeiting cases. Strengthen administrative adjudication and severely crack down on illegal patent counterfeiting. Increase the intensity of handling patent infringement disputes and improve the quality and efficiency of administrative adjudication.Actively communicate with foreign embassies in China and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad through the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office to assist enterprises “going global” in safeguarding their intellectual property rights overseas.
(3) Strictly regulate administrative law enforcement. Fully implement the “double random, one public” regulatory model, reasonably determine inspection ratios and frequencies, and reduce overlapping and redundant enforcement. Improve administrative law enforcement methods and reduce discretionary leeway in enforcement. Establish and improve a benchmark system for administrative discretion, incorporating provisions for “no penalty for first-time violations” and “exemption from penalties for minor violations” into the scope of administrative discretion benchmarks, and proactively disclose such information to accept public oversight.
(4) Strictly control enterprise-related fees. Establish and improve a long-term mechanism for regulating enterprise-related fees, promptly revise and refine relevant systems, and promote the gradual integration of enterprise-related fee governance into a rule-of-law-based and normalized framework. Update and publish the city-wide catalog of administrative and public service charges and government funds, and proactively accept public oversight.Focusing on government departments and their subordinate units, public utilities, and the financial sector, we will continue to carry out special campaigns to rectify illegal and irregular charges related to enterprises, and investigate and punish such violations in accordance with the law. We will conduct routine and long-term governance of “excessive charges” by industry associations and chambers of commerce, and strengthen the supervision of their charging practices.
IV. Supporting the High-Quality Development of Private Enterprises
(1) Guide the Establishment of Modern Enterprise Systems. Guide and assist enterprises in advancing shareholding system reforms, improving corporate governance structures, standardizing business operations, and establishing sound modern enterprise systems. Support private enterprises in strengthening risk prevention and management by establishing a comprehensive risk management system covering all areas, including corporate strategy, planning, investment and financing, and market operations.
(2) Enhancing Scientific and Technological Innovation Capabilities. Encourage private enterprises to closely track industry trends in accordance with national, provincial, and municipal industrial development needs, continuously increase R&D investment, organize efforts to tackle key core technologies, and actively participate in and undertake various scientific research and technology transfer projects at all levels; support private enterprises in collaborating with universities and research institutes to establish innovation platforms such as technology R&D centers, pilot-scale testing and refinement bases, engineering research centers, and manufacturing innovation centers.Strengthen efforts to cultivate high-tech enterprises in fields such as the digital economy, high-end equipment, new materials, and new energy, and promote the development of private enterprises toward high-tech and high-end sectors. Vigorously foster leading private technology enterprises and “specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative” enterprises; encourage and support leading private enterprises to innovate in technology, management, and business models, extend, complement, and strengthen industrial chains, and enhance the modernization of industrial chains.
(3) Accelerate the transition to intelligent and digital transformation to enhance quality and efficiency.Support private enterprises in participating in the construction of new infrastructure such as data centers and the Industrial Internet, encourage innovation in various fields, and support the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises. Guide private enterprises to engage in standardization activities, actively participate in the formulation and revision of international, national, industry, and local standards, and proactively apply for national and provincial standardization pilot and demonstration projects. Support private enterprises in intensifying green and low-carbon upgrades of production processes, equipment, and technologies, accelerate the development of flexible manufacturing, enhance emergency production expansion and conversion capabilities, and improve the resilience of industrial chains.
(4) Support the Expansion of International Markets. Strengthen guidance on outbound investment by private enterprises; encourage enterprises to engage in overseas investment and cooperation through various means such as greenfield investment and equity mergers and acquisitions; establish overseas production bases; and improve the global industrial layout.Support private foreign trade enterprises in expanding markets and securing orders through domestic and international trade fairs. Provide training and guidance to help foreign trade enterprises manage operations in a lawful and compliant manner, improve their risk management capabilities, and ensure they stay informed of risk developments. Hold enterprises fully accountable for their overseas operations, guide them in conducting preliminary feasibility studies and developing risk prevention and control plans for overseas projects, and ensure compliance with the registration system for overseas embassies and consulates.
(5) Encourage Participation in Major National Projects. Support and guide private enterprises to participate in major projects and areas requiring improvement—such as rural revitalization, new-type urbanization, and transportation and water conservancy—and actively engage in the “Ten Thousand Enterprises Revitalizing Ten Thousand Villages” initiative. Relying on the project database for private capital promotion established through the provincial online approval platform, ensure the routine stockpiling of projects intended for private investment.Implement the "Hebei Province Regulations on the Promotion of New Energy Development," encourage and support private enterprises in advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, and participating in carbon emission rights and energy consumption rights trading. Assist enterprises in managing carbon emission data and promote their green and low-carbon development.
V. Promoting the Healthy Growth of Private Sector Personnel
(1) Strengthen the ideological and political development of private sector entrepreneurs. Launch the “Comprehensive Grade A” initiative for Party organizations in new economic and social sectors, deepen and expand the three-year action plan for grassroots Party building leadership, and persist in developing and expanding the ranks of Party members within non-public enterprises, social organizations, and small and micro enterprises.Actively explore and innovate Party building approaches in the private sector. Educate and guide Party members among private sector figures to uphold firm ideals and convictions, play a vanguard and exemplary role, and resolutely implement the Party’s theories, guidelines, and policies. Establish education bases for fostering ideals and convictions among private sector figures; business associations and chambers of commerce at the municipal and county levels shall organize at least one educational activity at these bases annually.
(2) Strengthen the development of the entrepreneur workforce. Optimize the workforce structure and comprehensively implement the comprehensive evaluation system for representatives of the private sector. Support representatives of the private sector in playing a greater role in economic activities and organizations at all levels and of all types. Establish a database of representatives of the private sector.Continue to implement the “Leading the Wave Initiative” for cultivating young private sector entrepreneurs in the new era, fostering a new generation of private sector entrepreneurs who are politically principled, competent in development, responsible, and culturally sophisticated. Organize private enterprises to actively participate in the selection and commendation of outstanding private enterprises, outstanding private entrepreneurs, and the Top 100 Private Enterprises.
VI. Fostering a Favorable Social Atmosphere
(1) Comprehensively build a close yet clean government-business relationship. Earnestly implement the “Opinions on Promoting ‘Positive Lists’ and ‘Negative Lists’ to Build a Close Yet Clean Government-Business Relationship,” clarifying the rules governing interactions between Party and government officials and private entrepreneurs.Encourage Party and government leaders and public officials to set aside preconceptions, assume responsibility, take the initiative, and provide proactive services when serving the private sector. They should resolve difficulties and address practical issues for private enterprises and entrepreneurs in accordance with laws and regulations, fostering a business-government interaction environment that is both close and clean, standardized, orderly, and characterized by positive interaction. Guide localities in conducting diverse forms of government-enterprise communication and consultation.
(2) Strengthen Public Opinion and Publicity Support. Intensify publicity regarding policies, the economic landscape, and achievements to help private enterprises accurately grasp domestic and international economic conditions and national policies. This will foster a positive energy that values innovation and entrepreneurship, while enhancing entrepreneurs’ sense of honor and social value. Prevent exaggerated publicity and one-sided interpretations of the difficulties and challenges facing the development of the private economy, and oppose any remarks that vilify or stigmatize private enterprises.We will proactively share the stories of Tangshan’s private enterprises and entrepreneurs, fostering a strong atmosphere throughout society that cares for, encourages, and supports the development of the private sector.
(3) Guide private enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities. Encourage and guide private sector figures to become pragmatic developers and contributors to the new era, realizing personal value at a higher level, and presenting to society a positive image of law-abiding conduct and adherence to social ethics, embodying the principles of “wealth with responsibility, wealth with righteousness, and wealth with compassion.” Guide private enterprises to actively engage in public welfare and charitable causes, participate in emergency relief and disaster response, and support national defense construction, encouraging them to better fulfill their social responsibilities.Actively participate in the selection and recognition of the “Top 100 Enterprises in Social Responsibility” in Hebei Province. Guide private enterprises to implement labor protection laws and regulations, improve mechanisms for labor relations consultation and coordination, and strengthen systems for safeguarding workers’ rights and interests, thereby promoting the development of a harmonious corporate culture.
VII. Improving Service and Support Mechanisms
(1) Improve the Mechanism for Promoting the Development of the Private Economy. Fully leverage the role of the Municipal Leading Group on the Private Economy, optimize the coordination mechanism for promoting the development of the private economy, clarify and reinforce departmental responsibilities, strengthen policy coordination and collaboration between departments and between departments and localities, and enhance synergy and cooperation. Each county and district shall establish and strengthen coordination mechanisms for promoting the development of the private economy based on local conditions, forming a powerful and rational support system for the private economy.
(2) Strengthen Policy Publicity and Interpretation. For policy measures concerning the development of the private economy formulated by departments at all levels (excluding those that are not for public disclosure), adhere to the principle of “who drafts, who interprets.” Make full use of media platforms such as official accounts, WeChat groups, and websites to effectively interpret and disseminate these policies.
(3) Conduct Timely Summaries and Evaluations. Cooperate in conducting special evaluations and reviews of policies related to the private economy. Strengthen statistical monitoring, evaluation, and data sharing regarding the private economy, and promptly summarize and promote effective practices and experiences from various regions.
Interpretation of the “Several Measures of Tangshan City on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Economy”
I. Background
Supporting the development of private enterprises has been a consistent policy of the Party Central Committee. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered important speeches on the private economy on multiple occasions, repeatedly emphasizing the “Two Unwavering Commitments” and the “Three Unchanged Principles,” and stating that private enterprises and private entrepreneurs are “our own people.” The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China explicitly called for “optimizing the development environment for private enterprises, protecting the property rights of private enterprises and the rights and interests of entrepreneurs in accordance with the law, and promoting the development and growth of the private economy,” setting forth new requirements for work related to the private economy.On July 19, 2023, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the “Opinions on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Economy”; on November 10, the General Office of the Provincial Government issued the “Several Measures on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Economy.”
The private economy in our city has become the main force driving economic growth, the primary channel for employment, and the main source of fiscal revenue. However, it still faces certain challenges and difficulties in its development. The issuance of the “Several Measures” proposes targeted actions, such as creating a development environment with fair competition, strengthening the supply of development factors for private enterprises, and establishing a fair and standardized legal environment, thereby providing crucial support and safeguards for the healthy development of the city’s private economy.
II. Basis for Formulation
Documents such as the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Economy" (Zhong Fa [2023] No. 15) and the "Several Measures of the General Office of the People’s Government of Hebei Province on Promoting the Development and Expansion of the Private Economy" (Ji Zheng Ban Fa [2023] No. 7).
III. Main Content
The "Several Measures" consist of 7 sections and a total of 26 specific measures.
Part One: Creating a Development Environment with Fair Competition. This includes four measures: continuously removing market access barriers, fully implementing fair competition policies and systems, improving the social credit system, and refining market-oriented and rule-of-law-based restructuring mechanisms.
Part II: Strengthening the Supply of Development Factors for Private Enterprises. This includes five measures: increasing financial support, intensifying efforts to clear overdue payments to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), strengthening the supply of talent and labor, enhancing the development of the industrial workforce, and establishing mechanisms for policy communication and direct, rapid access to benefits.
Part Three: Fostering a fair and standardized legal environment. This includes four measures: protecting the rights and interests of private enterprises and entrepreneurs in accordance with the law; continuously improving the intellectual property protection system; strictly regulating administrative law enforcement; and strictly controlling fees charged to enterprises.
Part Four: Supporting the High-Quality Development of Private Enterprises. This includes five measures: guiding the establishment of modern corporate systems; enhancing scientific and technological innovation capabilities; accelerating the transition to intelligent and digital transformation to improve quality and efficiency; supporting the expansion into international markets; and encouraging participation in major national projects.
Part Five: Promoting the Healthy Growth of Private Sector Personnel. This includes two measures: strengthening the ideological and political development of private sector personnel and strengthening the development of the entrepreneur workforce.
Part Six: Fostering a Favorable Social Environment. This includes three measures: comprehensively building a close yet clean government-business relationship; strengthening public opinion and media support; and guiding private enterprises to fulfill their social responsibilities.
Part Seven: Improving Service and Support Mechanisms. This includes three measures: improving the working mechanisms for promoting the development of the private economy, strengthening the dissemination and interpretation of policies, and conducting timely summaries and evaluations.
