Policy Measures to Stabilize Foreign Trade Development in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

To thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, as well as the work plans of the Autonomous Region’s Party Committee and Government; to actively address the current complex and volatile international economic and trade landscape; to accelerate the integration of domestic and foreign trade; to strengthen support for enterprises “going global”; to prevent and mitigate external risks and shocks; to focus on stabilizing employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations; and to make every effort to maintain the stability of the region’s foreign trade fundamentals, the following policy measures are hereby formulated.

I. Making Every Effort to Stabilize Existing Business

(1) Supporting Enterprises in Stabilizing Market Share. Consolidate market share in traditional markets and support enterprises in maintaining their market share through measures such as optimizing products and services, reducing production costs, and strengthening brand development. Encourage foreign trade enterprises to intensify efforts to develop emerging markets in Central Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Provide support for the export of specialty agricultural products, such as cool-climate vegetables and goji berries, to the Middle East market via chartered cargo flights.Support will be provided to foreign trade enterprises participating in overseas trade fairs. For enterprises that are interested in but have not yet engaged in foreign trade, categorized foreign trade guidance will be provided to help them achieve their first export transactions. More than 20 foreign trade guidance activities will be conducted annually, serving over 300 enterprises. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce, Department of Finance, Department of Industry and Information Technology of the Autonomous Region; Ningxia Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

(2) Support enterprises in stabilizing imports. Support eligible enterprises in applying for import tariff quotas for agricultural products such as grain and cotton, and steadily enhance the capacity to import energy minerals and key agricultural products required for the development of new energy technologies. Provide support for the import of advanced equipment, critical components, daily consumer goods, and resource-based products necessary for economic development. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce, Development and Reform Commission, and Department of Finance of the Autonomous Region)

(3) Focus on stabilizing employment and enterprises. Strengthen efforts to stabilize jobs; for foreign trade enterprises that maintain stable employment, implement the unemployment insurance job retention subsidy policy through a “no-application-required” mechanism.We will also work to expand employment opportunities. Foreign trade enterprises that hire college graduates in their graduation year or within two years of leaving school, as well as registered unemployed youth aged 16–24, sign labor contracts with them, and fully pay unemployment, work-related injury, and employee pension insurance premiums for at least three months in accordance with regulations, will be granted a one-time employment expansion subsidy of 1,500 yuan per person hired. The policy implementation period shall be in accordance with relevant documents.Establish and improve a mechanism for monitoring and assisting foreign trade enterprises. Dispatch dedicated task forces to key foreign trade enterprises based on actual conditions to strengthen monitoring and coordination. (Responsible Units: Autonomous Region Development and Reform Commission, Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Department of Industry and Information Technology, Department of Commerce, Department of Finance)

(4) Stabilize enterprise financing channels. Encourage financial institutions to optimize credit management, scientifically assess enterprise creditworthiness, streamline approval processes, increase loan disbursements to eligible foreign trade enterprises, and lower loan interest rates. Effectively implement the policy of rollover loans without principal repayment. For small, medium, and micro foreign trade enterprises that possess technology, market presence, and growth potential but are temporarily facing operational difficulties due to external shocks, increase financing support and avoid indiscriminately withholding, withdrawing, cutting off, or reducing loans.Encourage policy-based banks to further expand the scale of preferential-rate loans for foreign trade enterprises in our region and utilize policy-based financial resources to strengthen support for new foreign trade business models. Encourage policy-based financial institutions to increase special credit quotas for stabilizing foreign trade and use on-lending mechanisms to channel low-cost funds directly to small and micro foreign trade enterprises. (Responsible Units: Ningxia Financial Regulatory Bureau, People’s Bank of China Ningxia Branch, China Development Bank Ningxia Branch, Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region)

II. Expanding Markets Through Domestic-International Synergy

(5) Support the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade. Support foreign trade enterprises in participating in specialized international exhibitions within China in sectors such as biomedicine, fine chemicals, and textiles and apparel. Encourage foreign trade enterprises to actively participate in activities such as “trade-in” programs, the “China Tour of Foreign Trade Premium Products,” and the “Ningxia Premium Products China Tour.” Organize no fewer than 10 supply-demand matching events for industrial and supply chains within the year to help foreign trade enterprises precisely align with domestic market demands and standards.Support foreign trade enterprises in setting up dedicated counters in shopping malls and supermarkets, specialty stores in pedestrian streets (commercial districts), and dedicated zones in commercial markets, transforming foreign trade goods into premium products for domestic consumption. Coordinate with leading domestic e-commerce platforms to facilitate “direct procurement” of our region’s foreign trade products, and incorporate them into dedicated zones for high-quality foreign trade goods to provide streamlined support. Launch a series of activities to promote high-quality foreign trade goods in government agencies and enterprises.(Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Industry and Information Technology, Development and Reform Commission, Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Department of Finance, Ningxia Council for the Promotion of International Trade)

(6) Support foreign trade enterprises in “going global” to expand markets. Encourage enterprises to diversify their market布局 and circumvent trade barriers. Support overseas investment projects and overseas engineering contracting projects in purchasing export credit insurance. Provide support for overseas economic and trade cooperation zones (industrial parks), foreign investment projects, and economic cooperation projects led by our region. Leverage the role of overseas economic and trade offices to strengthen service guarantees for enterprises “going global” and promote the “One Country, One Handbook” investment guides.(Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance, Development and Reform Commission, People’s Bank of China Ningxia Branch)

III. Accelerating the Transformation of the Development Model

(7) Promote the Development of Cross-Border E-Commerce. Vigorously develop cross-border e-commerce and support manufacturing enterprises in effectively utilizing cross-border e-commerce platforms to transition toward industry-trade integration. Provide support for the construction of the Yinchuan Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, accelerate the introduction of large-scale cross-border e-commerce platform service providers to establish service centers, and assist local enterprises in expanding their international market channels.Focusing on the strengths of distinctive industries, we will make every effort to build cross-border e-commerce industrial clusters such as “Cross-border E-commerce + Goji Berries,” “Cross-border E-commerce + Cashmere Products,” and “Cross-border E-commerce + Handicrafts,” empowering distinctive products to “go global via the internet.” We will innovatively establish the “Fujian-Ningxia Cross-border E-commerce Cooperation Demonstration Project” to achieve the coordinated development of the distinctive and advantageous industries of Fujian and Ningxia. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Yinchuan Municipal People’s Government)

(8) Leverage the catalytic role of overseas warehouses. Integrate overseas warehouse resources across the region, encourage traditional foreign trade enterprises, cross-border e-commerce firms, and logistics companies to actively establish overseas warehouses, and accelerate the construction of public overseas warehouses. Provide support for enterprises building their own overseas warehouses or leasing existing ones. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Development and Reform Commission, Department of Finance, Yinchuan Customs)

(9) Support the development of foreign trade supply chain services. Encourage traditional foreign trade enterprises to accelerate their transformation into comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises and enhance their digital service capabilities; support comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises in expanding and strengthening their operations. Launch the cultivation and certification of comprehensive foreign trade service enterprises in Ningxia; provide support to certified enterprises to enable them to offer supply chain services—including customs declaration and inspection, export tax rebates, foreign exchange settlement, financial and insurance services, and logistics—to foreign trade enterprises.(Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance, Yinchuan Customs, Ningxia Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Ningxia Tax Bureau)

IV. Targeted and Effective Structural Adjustment

(10) Optimize the Structure of Foreign Trade Products. Guide foreign trade enterprises to adjust their business strategies, refine product structures, and strengthen product functionality and R&D pathways to better adapt to the needs of diversified emerging markets.Encourage foreign trade enterprises to increase R&D investment and support them in partnering with universities and research institutes to establish industry research institutes, thereby helping to overcome technological barriers. Encourage enterprises to acquire overseas technologies through mergers and acquisitions or joint ventures to enhance the core competitiveness of foreign trade products. Support the internationalization of enterprises’ R&D achievements. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance, Department of Industry and Information Technology)

(11) Create New Growth Drivers for Foreign Trade. Provide support to the Ningdong Energy and Chemical Industry National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base, the Yinchuan High-Tech Zone National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base, the Shizuishan Economic and Technological Development Zone National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base, and the Zhongning Goji Berry Technical Trade Measures Research and Evaluation Base. Encourage national-level foreign trade transformation and upgrading bases to pursue innovative development, create new growth drivers for foreign trade, and unleash the vitality of foreign trade development. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance)

V. Continuously Innovating Service Support

(12) Improve Port Clearance Efficiency. Leverage the support provided by the Autonomous Region’s Special Fund for International Freight Corridors to support the development of business models such as rail-sea intermodal freight trains, international freight trains, and international road transport, thereby facilitating international logistics channels. Enhance the efficiency of import and export goods inspection and quarantine by including the export supervision of eligible agricultural and food products in the pilot reform of the “remote video inspection” and “batch inspection” regulatory models.Optimize regulatory measures for fresh vegetable exports, facilitate the “green channel” for fresh and perishable agricultural and food products, and implement the principle of “declare upon arrival, inspect and release immediately.” Implement a “customs liaison officer system” for targeted assistance, providing rapid, end-to-end follow-up to resolve issues encountered by enterprises during import and export operations. (Responsible Units: Yinchuan Customs, Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region)

(13) Strengthen credit insurance support. Expand the coverage and scale of export credit insurance underwriting, and further increase the compensation ratio for policies under the “comprehensive risk coverage” platform for foreign trade enterprises. Support enterprises in purchasing short-term export credit insurance for agricultural products, food, machinery and electronics, high-tech products, biopharmaceuticals, and light industrial and textile products. Encourage eligible foreign trade enterprises to purchase domestic trade credit insurance and short-term import credit insurance. (Responsible Units: Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance)

(14) Optimize the level of facilitation for cross-border trade and investment and financing. Encourage financial institutions to optimize foreign exchange settlement services and enhance the level of facilitation for direct investment and financing. Encourage financial institutions to provide foreign trade enterprises with diversified exchange rate risk management products, reduce the exchange rate hedging costs for foreign-related enterprises through measures such as waiving margin requirements via special credit lines and offering preferential exchange rate spreads, and provide cross-border RMB settlement services to enterprises.Promote the "expedited processing" and "accelerated refund" of export tax rebates, improve the quality and efficiency of export tax rebate reviews, and implement supporting facilitation measures such as "paperless processing," "appointment-based processing," and "tolerance for missing documents." The review and processing time for standard export tax rebates for Category I and II export enterprises will be shortened to within 3 working days, while the average processing time for other enterprises will be reduced to within 6 working days.(Responsible Units: Ningxia Branch of the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, Ningxia Tax Bureau)

(15) Enhance awareness of foreign-related legal risk management. Encourage enterprises to develop overseas intellectual property strategies and protect their rights; increase publicity regarding foreign-related commercial mediation; and guide enterprises to select appropriate commercial mediation methods to resolve foreign-related disputes based on their actual circumstances. Strengthen foreign trade early warning monitoring, enhance training on foreign-related commercial law and trade friction response, and provide enterprises with targeted legal services. (Responsible Units: Ningxia Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Department of Commerce of the Autonomous Region, Department of Finance, Department of Justice, Department of Market Regulation)

These policy measures shall take effect on November 30, 2025, and remain valid until December 31, 2026.