To implement the “Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting the Stabilization of Foreign Trade Scale and Optimization of Structure” (State Council General Office Document [2023] No. 10) and the “Notice of the General Office of the Provincial Government on Issuing Several Measures to Promote the Stabilization of Foreign Trade Scale and Optimization of Structure” (Jiangsu Provincial Government General Office Document [2023] No. 19), and to further promote the stable growth of our city’s foreign trade while facilitating the transformation, upgrading, and optimization of imports and exports, the following measures are hereby proposed:

I. Fully support enterprises in expanding into international markets. Encourage enterprises to proactively participate in in-person exhibitions overseas and actively organize their participation in major domestic and international exhibitions such as the Canton Fair, China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), and the Osaka International Trade Fair to secure orders. Provide subsidies for expenses incurred by enterprises in participating in overseas exhibitions, including booth fees, shipping costs for large exhibits, and business travel expenses.We will strengthen cooperation with overseas economic and trade promotion agencies and foreign chambers of commerce to jointly organize various economic, trade, and investment matching events, thereby facilitating international networking and reciprocal visits among enterprises. We will accelerate the construction of the Yangtze River Delta Cross-border Procurement Industrial Park and fully leverage the role of the Yangtze River Delta Smart Procurement Operations Center. We will support more enterprises in applying for APEC Business Travel Cards. (Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Foreign Affairs Office, Municipal Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Jiangdu District)

II. Enhance the Resilience and Competitiveness of Foreign-Invested Industrial Chains and Supply Chains. Explore a regularized operational model for the Sino-German Industry 4.0 and Global Procurement Conference. Continue to deepen industrial cooperation with multinational corporations, secure high-value-added orders from headquarters, and attract more high-quality projects to settle in the city. Strengthen support for key foreign-invested projects in terms of resources and services, and optimize processing procedures for projects that meet the requirements for the tariff exemption policy on imported equipment for self-use.Implement support policies for foreign investment in manufacturing and the three-year action plan for “profit reinvestment by foreign-invested enterprises.” Refine incentive policies for foreign-invested headquarters economies, support foreign-invested enterprises in Yangzhou in establishing regional headquarters, and actively promote the development of Sino-foreign cooperative industrial parks. (Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Municipal Bureau of Natural Resources, Municipal Taxation Bureau, Yangzhou Customs, Guangling District, Jiangdu District)

III. Accelerate the Digital Empowerment of Trade for Innovative Development. Guide foreign trade enterprises to apply digital technologies and the internet to conduct targeted overseas marketing, and explore new marketing models and channels such as cross-border live streaming, social commerce, short videos, and search engines. Enhance enterprises’ awareness of green and low-carbon development, and support the expansion of exports of green products such as solar cells and lithium batteries.Promote the expansion and quality improvement of processing trade. Focus on supporting the Comprehensive Bonded Zone in attracting processing trade enterprises, building a global testing and maintenance platform, broadening bonded leasing services for high-value-added products, and advancing the routine operation of operating leases. Provide corresponding incentives for new business model projects—such as R&D and design, testing and maintenance, and bonded leasing—that have been recognized by customs. (Responsible Units: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Commerce Bureau, Yangzhou Customs, Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau, Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau, Yangzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone)

IV. Actively Cultivate and Expand Exports in the Automotive Industry. Leverage the advantage of our city’s complete automotive industrial chain to support enterprises in building international marketing and service systems. Encourage key automobile manufacturers to conduct local exports and expand the scale of exports for both complete vehicles and components. Support key new energy vehicle enterprises in intensifying their efforts to develop international markets, thereby creating new growth drivers. Support the transportation of new energy vehicles via the China-Europe Railway Express. Explore cooperation with pilot cities for used vehicle exports to strive for the expansion of our city’s used vehicle export business.(Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Bureau of Transportation, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau, Yangzhou Customs)

V. Promoting Import Expansion and Quality Improvement. Leverage the guiding role of national and provincial import interest subsidy policies to support the import of advanced technology equipment and critical components. Utilize import exhibition platforms such as the China International Import Expo and the China International Consumer Goods Expo to amplify spillover effects and expand the scale of imports. Support the construction of customs-designated supervision areas for imported fruits and other goods at Yangtai Airport. Fully utilize the functions of the Yangzhou Port to continuously attract headquarters-based, leading, and tax-generating trade and logistics projects.Strengthen investment promotion efforts for trading enterprises, actively engage with major traders and importers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, and strive to attract functional headquarters enterprises such as regional procurement centers and distribution centers. Aim to increase the proportion of imports in total trade by 5 percentage points. (Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Transportation Bureau, Yangzhou Customs, Yangtai Airport)

VI. Accelerate the Development of New Forms and Models of Foreign Trade. Strengthen the development of the national-level comprehensive cross-border e-commerce pilot zone. Actively promote the “cross-border e-commerce + industrial clusters” model, fostering synergistic development and mutual empowerment between cross-border e-commerce and the city’s distinctive industries—such as solar photovoltaics in the Development Zone, plush toys in Hanjiang, hotel supplies in the Eco-New City, power tools in Gaoyou, and glass and crystal crafts in Baoying—to drive growth in imports and exports. Provide financial support to foreign trade enterprises utilizing third-party cross-border e-commerce platforms to expand their markets.Accelerate the construction of public overseas warehouses. Support the development of cross-border e-commerce supervision stations and online public service platforms in the Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Yangtai Airport. Promote the accelerated development of the “Three Major Centers” for cross-border e-commerce—the Comprehensive Bonded Zone, Guangling New City, and Hanjiang—and encourage localities to cultivate cross-border e-commerce clusters, providing financial support. Aim for an annual average growth rate of no less than 20% in the scale of cross-border e-commerce.Strengthen the professional training of cross-border e-commerce talent through academic institutions and socialized training programs. Implement relevant tax preferential policies for cross-border e-commerce. Promote market procurement trade, actively advance cooperation with the “Shicaitong” platform, and assist small, medium, and micro foreign trade enterprises in expanding their export business in a compliant and efficient manner. [Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Finance Bureau, Yangzhou Customs, Yangzhou Central Branch of the People’s Bank of China, Municipal Taxation Bureau, Municipal Education Bureau, Yangtai Airport, all counties (cities, districts), and functional zones]

VII. Better Leverage the Role of Export Credit Insurance. Fully utilize the cross-cycle and counter-cyclical regulatory functions of export credit insurance, expand its coverage, and strive to increase the coverage rate by more than 5 percentage points. Establish a unified export credit insurance platform for small and micro enterprises, providing free coverage for enterprises with exports of less than $10 million in the previous year. For premiums paid out-of-pocket by enterprises, the municipal government will provide a matching subsidy of up to 40% on top of the provincial subsidy.Establish a credit information service platform for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and provide subsidies of up to 80% for service fees incurred by enterprises when querying target market risks and seller creditworthiness. Increase underwriting support for specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprises and provide one-on-one dedicated services for such enterprises. (Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, Municipal Finance Bureau)

VIII. Enhancing the International Competitiveness of Foreign Trade Enterprises. Support enterprises in building brands through independent development and overseas acquisitions, and provide rewards to enterprises recognized as provincial-level internationally renowned brands. Provide support of up to 70% of actual expenditures for management system certifications, export product certifications (excluding mandatory national certifications), overseas patent certifications, and overseas trademark registrations undertaken by enterprises for international markets. Encourage enterprises to expand into international markets with new products, and provide support for the initial overseas promotion costs of new products.(Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Market Regulation Bureau, Municipal Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Municipal Science and Technology Bureau)

IX. Strengthen Service Support for Foreign Trade Enterprises. Continue to conduct visits and provide services to key foreign trade enterprises, and strengthen support in areas such as labor, electricity, finance, and credit insurance. Encourage key enterprises to transition from acting as foreign trade agents to operating independently and to secure more orders from their headquarters; provide certain support to enterprises that demonstrate significant results in securing additional orders. Establish a joint conference mechanism for foreign trade and economic development to coordinate and resolve difficulties and issues raised by enterprises. Assist enterprises listed on export control lists in properly addressing these issues and alleviating their difficulties.Assist enterprises in addressing unreasonable trade restrictions and provide corresponding support. [Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Financial Regulatory Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Municipal Taxation Bureau, Yangzhou Central Branch of the People’s Bank of China, Yangzhou Customs, Municipal Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Yangzhou Power Supply Company, all counties (cities, districts), and functional zones]

X. Optimize and Improve Fiscal and Financial Support. Strengthen fiscal support, make full use of the “Su Trade Loan” policy, and further prioritize support for small, medium, and micro foreign trade enterprises. Encourage financial institutions such as policy banks and insurance companies to increase investment in financing, loans, and insurance for foreign trade enterprises. Strengthen cooperation with the Jiangsu Branch of the Export-Import Bank of China and strive to ensure that the growth rate of loans to the city’s foreign trade industry does not fall below 12%.Expand the coverage of export accounts receivable financing and export credit insurance policy financing to broaden financing channels for enterprises and reduce financing costs. Support enterprises in prioritizing the use of the renminbi in cross-border trade and investment activities, and support banks in formulating special plans to offer dedicated preferential interest rates on renminbi financing used for cross-border trade settlement. Provide support to enterprises with outstanding performance in using cross-border renminbi for goods trade, as well as to small, medium, and micro enterprises undertaking exchange rate hedging for the first time.[Responsible Units: Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Commerce Bureau, Yangzhou Central Branch of the People’s Bank of China, Yangzhou Branch of the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, all counties (cities, districts), and functional zones]

XI. Enhancing Trade Facilitation. Promote the development of smart customs and smart ports; expand customs clearance models such as “two-step declaration” and “advance declaration”; vigorously advance reform measures including “release before inspection,” “inspection upon request,” “direct pickup at the ship’s side,” and “direct loading upon arrival”; continue to reduce customs clearance times and improve clearance efficiency; and assist enterprises in fully utilizing preferential policies under free trade agreements such as the RCEP.Strengthen efforts to cultivate AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) certification and assist enterprises in enjoying the preferential policies for “Authorized Exporters.” Reduce the time for export tax refunds to within 2 working days; treat export credit insurance claims as equivalent to foreign exchange receipts and process export tax refunds accordingly. (Responsible Units: Yangzhou Customs, Municipal Transportation Bureau, Municipal Commerce Bureau, Municipal Taxation Bureau)

XII. Improve the work evaluation and incentive mechanism. Continue to promote the stabilization of foreign trade scale and optimization of its structure. All sectors must effectively implement specific measures to stabilize foreign trade and ensure the achievement of the city’s foreign trade development goals. Strengthen evaluation and incentives, provide support to leading regions, and increase regular supervision and coordination of foreign trade stabilization efforts to foster a collaborative effort. (Responsible Units: Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Bureau of Finance)