Original Title: Notice of the Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government on Issuing the Construction Plan for the Hangzhou Area of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone
To the People’s Governments of all districts, counties (cities), and all departments and directly affiliated units of the Municipal Government:
The “Construction Plan for the Hangzhou Area of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone” is hereby issued to you. Please ensure its thorough implementation.
Hangzhou Municipal People’s Government
January 21, 2021
(This document is publicly released)
China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone
Construction Plan for the Hangzhou Area
To accelerate the development of the Hangzhou Area of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (hereinafter referred to as the Pilot Free Trade Zone), and in accordance with the “Notice of the State Council on Issuing the Overall Plans for the Beijing, Hunan, and Anhui Pilot Free Trade Zones and the Expansion Plan for the Zhejiang Pilot Free Trade Zone” (State Council Document [2020] No. 10),the "Notice of the People’s Government of Zhejiang Province on Issuing the Implementation Plan for Deepening Reform and Opening-up of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone" (Zhe Zheng Fa [2020] No. 32), this plan is hereby formulated.
I. General Requirements
Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and centered on implementing the new development philosophy and building a new development paradigm, this plan aims to leverage the synergistic advantages of national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. It seeks to promote reform, development, and innovation through openness, foster a first-class business environment characterized by the rule of law, internationalization, convenience, fairness, stability, transparency, and predictability, and intensify pilot initiatives in areas such as investment and trade facilitation, the digital economy, technological innovation, and the opening-up of the service sector.emphasizing integrated institutional innovation. With a focus on digital trade, digital industries, digital finance, digital logistics, and digital governance, we will accelerate the industrialization of digital technologies, the digitization of traditional industries, and the digital transformation of cities,innovate new digital lifestyle services, and strive to build a nationally leading pilot zone for the innovative development of next-generation artificial intelligence, a national pilot zone for financial technology innovation and development, and a world-class cross-border e-commerce demonstration center. We will establish a demonstration zone for high-quality development of the digital economy and build the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone into a vital platform linking the domestic economic cycle and connecting the dual domestic and international economic cycles, thereby serving the construction of a new development paradigm.
By 2025, benchmarking against international best practices, the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone will have been preliminarily established as a digital free trade zone characterized by trade and investment convenience, robust innovation vitality, high-end industrial clusters, comprehensive financial services, and safe and efficient regulation. It will provide replicable and scalable experience for the nation in the formulation of rules, regulations, and standards, as well as management innovation in the digital economy sector.The Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone will drive the GDP growth rate and the growth rate of R&D expenditure by large-scale industrial enterprises in its respective districts, counties (cities) to exceed the provincial average by 2 percentage points, while the growth rates of total foreign trade and total actual utilization of foreign capital will exceed the provincial average by 3 percentage points, becoming a pioneer zone leading the high-quality development of the open economy.
By 2035, we will comprehensively elevate the level of opening-up and build a new system for an open economy at a higher level. We will develop the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone into a high-level open platform that fully demonstrates the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics in the new era; and we will establish more mature and well-defined institutional outcomes covering the entire digital industry chain in areas such as digital trade, digital industries, digital finance, digital logistics, and digital governance.
II. Functional Layout
Integrate open resources both within and outside the Pilot Free Trade Zone to explore the establishment of a new three-in-one open framework comprising the “Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone + Linked Innovation Zone + Radiation and Driving Zone.”
The implementation area of the Hangzhou Zone of the Pilot Free Trade Zone covers 37.51 square kilometers, including the Qiantang Block (10.10 square kilometers), which comprises the Hangzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, the DaChuang Town, and the Eastern Bay Headquarters Base. It will focus on developing industries such as digital trade, cross-border e-commerce, life sciences and healthcare, intelligent manufacturing, cross-border finance, R&D and testing, and bonded trade;The Xiaoshan Block covers 16.09 square kilometers, comprisingthe Xiaoshan Economic and Technological Development Zoneand the Hangzhou Airport Economic Zone. It focuses on developing industries such as smart manufacturing, cross-border e-commerce, high-end airport-related services, biopharmaceuticals, and innovation-driven finance; the Binjiang Block covers 11.32 square kilometers, comprising the Internet of Things Town and the Internet Town, and focuses on developing industries such as the digital economy, fintech, artificial intelligence, and digital identification (security).
The implementation area of the Hangzhou Linked Innovation Zone of the Pilot Free Trade Zone is 118.08 square kilometers, covering four sub-zones: the Main City Sub-zone (including Binjiang District, the Yuhuangshan South Fund Town in Shangcheng District, and the Hangzhou Financial City in Jianggan District) at 42.96 square kilometers; the Qiantang Sub-zone at 25.59 square kilometers; the Airport Sub-zone at 24.18 square kilometers;the Yuhang Sub-zone ( including the Yuhang Economic and Technological Development Zone and Future Science and Technology City) covering 25.35 square kilometers. At the same time, it will actively promote reform and innovation synergy between the West City Science and Technology Innovation Corridor and the Hangzhou Sub-zone of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.The Linked Innovation Zone is primarily responsible for taking the lead in replicating and promoting the policies and systems of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, prioritizing the deployment of major industrial projects and public service platforms, and conducting differentiated and distinctive reform explorations to form a collaborative framework with the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone characterized by complementary advantages, resource sharing, policy interoperability, and coordinated planning.
The Radiation and Promotion Zone serves as the area for the functional expansion, project implementation, and industrial outreach of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, covering the entire territory of Hangzhou. By establishing a coordinated development mechanism with the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Linked Innovation Zone, the zone will fully leverage the spillover effects of reform, innovation, and institutional openness. It will strengthen the promotion of innovative policies and reform achievements, further expand the radius of influence and scope of impact of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and build a new, integrated system for high-level open development across the entire city.
III. Main Tasks and Measures
(1) Focusing on digital trade, build a pilot zone for innovative trade development.
Focusing on “trade liberalization and facilitation,” we will accelerate the digital transformation of traditional foreign trade and improve the digital ecosystem across the entire international trade chain. By 2025, we aim to ensure that new forms of international trade account for more than one-third of the total, becoming a core driving force for high-quality trade development.
1. Innovate and develop cross-border e-commerce. Deepen the development of the China (Hangzhou) Cross-Border E-Commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone, intensify efforts to pioneer and test new technologies, business models, and formats in cross-border e-commerce, integrate the strengths of cross-border e-commerce with market procurement trade, develop global hub warehouse operations, and optimize cross-border e-commerce import and export models.pilot cross-border retail imports of over-the-counter medicines and household medical devices, explore the “online ordering, offline display, and designated-point delivery” model for cross-border retail imports, launch pilot programs for extended processing services by cross-border import distribution enterprises, accelerate the digital transformation of traditional foreign trade enterprises, improve the digital ecosystem across the entire international trade chain, and build a world-class cross-border e-commerce demonstration center.Centered on the principles of “data control, port liberalization, efficient import and export, and full-process traceability,” we will innovate a “digital perimeter” and explore a new regulatory model characterized by “data doing the running, minimal human intervention, rapid customs clearance, and more convenient returns and exchanges,” thereby promoting customs clearance convenience and the freedom of goods trade.Drawing on the innovative experience of the Shanghai Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone, we will integrate and optimize the first- and second-line customs clearance processes for port and inland comprehensive bonded zones based on their distinct logistical characteristics and industrial needs, and strive to establish a special comprehensive bonded zone when conditions are ripe. We will establish a public service platform for cross-border e-commerce quality and safety and pilot facilitation measures such as digital customs clearance for personal items imported via express delivery channels.
2. Advance international cooperation in digital trade. Innovate conference hosting models and strive to hold the Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou annually. Expand cooperation with international industry organizations, support exhibition and convention enterprises in enhancing their digital marketing capabilities, and promote the integration of exhibitions and trade. Support the market-oriented expansion of the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) globally, and accelerate the development of digital trade platforms and infrastructure.Support the accelerated internationalization of local digital trade platforms, attract regional headquarters, settlement centers, trade centers, and order centers of major digital trade platforms to settle in the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, build a hub for digital trade platforms, improve the digital trade system, and establish a global digital trade center.Take the lead in capitalizing on the benefits of the economic and trade rules brought by the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), advance international cooperation in areas such as data exchange, business interoperability, mutual recognition of regulatory standards, and service sharing, and build digital trade infrastructure including digital rights confirmation.Support the application of blockchain technology in digital trade to enhance the security and reliability of various transactions and data flows, and explore the establishment of digital trade rules that balance security and efficiency. Seek policies for categorized data regulation, conduct pilot programs for the cross-border flow of commercial data, and facilitate the orderly cross-border flow of data to support the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and smart manufacturing. Strengthen research and formulation of international standards and rules in the digital trade sector, and advance institutional opening-up.
3. Accelerate the innovative development of trade in services. Comprehensively deepen pilot programs for the innovative development of trade in services and strive to implement a negative list management model for cross-border trade in services. Relax restrictions on employment in modern service industries; allow qualified professionals in fields such as finance, construction, planning, and design who hold overseas professional qualifications to provide services in the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone after filing the necessary documentation, with their overseas work experience recognized as equivalent to domestic experience.Accelerate the development of the National Digital Service Export Base at the Binjiang District Internet of Things Industrial Park and the National Cultural Export Base at the China (Zhejiang) Film and Television Industry International Cooperation Pilot Zone. Promote the upgrading of service outsourcing toward high-tech, high-quality, high-efficiency, and high-value-added sectors; develop service trade in areas such as online education, telemedicine, digital exhibitions, and digital cultural tourism; and explore new business formats and models centered on “digital + services” led by high-end services.Provide visa conveniences for high-end talent engaged in R&D, professional practice, exhibitions, exchanges, and training. Utilize digital technologies to innovate regulatory service models and advance the liberalization of trade in services.
4. Optimize “Single Window” services. Build an international trade “Single Window” system that meets internationally advanced standards; optimize the “Single Window”’s specialized applications for cross-border e-commerce; incorporate service trade management matters into the “Single Window” system; and gradually extend coverage to the entire international trade management chain.Explore a cooperative mechanism for jointly building a Yangtze River Delta international trade “Single Window” and establish a big data platform covering the entire international trade process. Promote the optimization and expansion of the standard version of the international trade “Single Window,” strengthen data coordination within the “Single Window” and the integration of “customs clearance + logistics” services, and achieve cross-regional and cross-agency sharing and reuse of declaration data from transport operators, thereby further enhancing trade facilitation.
5. Cultivate new forms of digital consumption. Seizing the opportunity presented by hosting the Asian Games, we will increase the opening-up of the consumer sector, develop the duty-free economy, flagship store economy, leisure economy, and sports economy, foster distinctive leisure consumption districts and convenient living zones, and strive to build an international consumption hub city. We will promote the deep integration of digital technology with various forms of consumption, strengthen the supporting infrastructure (both hardware and software), and accelerate the growth of both online and offline consumption.Support eligible enterprises in applying for national duty-free goods operating qualifications to establish downtown duty-free shops and port duty-free shops. Develop cross-border e-commerce bonded new retail, pilot the conversion between imported goods from duty-free shops and bonded imported goods from online shopping, and explore new models and scenarios such as bonded display and trading, bonded live-stream sales, and bonded processing and sales, while accelerating the development of new digital lifestyle services.
(2) Using the digital industry as an engine to build a major hub for new manufacturing.
Focusing on “high-quality development of a modern open economic system,” we will fully unleash the potential of digital technologies, data resources, and digital talent, accelerate the integration of digital trade and digital manufacturing, and build a global digital industry base. By 2025, we aim to achieve main business revenue of over 2 trillion yuan in the city’s core digital economy industries.
6. Promote digital technology innovation. Leverage the pioneering role of universities, key research institutes, laboratories, and leading platform enterprises in scientific research. Focusing on fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, the Internet of Things, network data security, and integrated circuits, implement major basic research and scientific and technological breakthrough projects to accelerate breakthroughs in a range of core and key technologies and generate a series of major original innovative achievements.Support renowned domestic and international universities, research institutions, and high-tech enterprises in establishing R&D centers and open laboratories within the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and explore the establishment of a new industry-academia-research cooperation mechanism featuring “offshore R&D and on-site commercialization.” Support enterprises in participating in the global allocation of innovation resources, and encourage qualified enterprises to accelerate the establishment of overseas innovation centers, offshore incubation bases, and other science and technology innovation platforms in major global innovation hubs to enhance their independent innovation capabilities.Attract top-tier domestic and international incubators and accelerators to innovate a new incubation and acceleration model integrating “technology capital + technology transactions + offshore outsourcing.” Deepen the development of the Qiantang Silicon Valley Center and promote the coordinated development of domestic and international innovation. Facilitate the free cross-border flow of technological factors; leverage Hangzhou’s leading enterprises to build a national-level open-source software community; pilot incentive policies for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements; implement tax policies supporting the import of scientific and technological innovations; and grant tax exemptions for the import of research equipment by eligible entities within the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.
7. Accelerate the construction of digital infrastructure. Promote new digital infrastructure centered on 5G, data centers, artificial intelligence, the Industrial Internet, and supercomputing centers; foster a range of new technologies, create a variety of new application scenarios, and launch a series of new products. Leverage the role of the National (Hangzhou) New Internet Exchange Center; deepen the large-scale deployment and application of the next-generation Internet (IPv6); build high-standard “dual-gigabit” broadband networks combining 5G and fixed-line networks; and accelerate the achievement of seamless, high-quality 5G network coverage.Plan and construct ultra-large-scale, high-grade green cloud computing centers, and establish globally leading, diverse, and inclusive new technology and computing power infrastructure, including cloud computing and edge computing. Advance the development of R&D institutions such as the Zhejiang Laboratory and Alibaba’s DAMO Academy, and intensify efforts to attract top domestic and international enterprises in cloud manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and big data. Leveraging blockchain technology applications, integrate information and credit data from high-end manufacturing enterprises to create an efficient and convenient customs clearance model.
8. Promote the integrated development of digital trade and digital manufacturing. Accelerate the construction of the “1+N” industrial internet platform system, implement the “New Factory Plan,” drive the expansion of consumer internet into industrial internet, and foster deep integration between digital trade and manufacturing.Deepen initiatives such as “replacing humans with machines,” “factory IoT,” and “enterprise cloud migration” to accelerate the digital transformation of enterprises and enhance the sophistication of the industrial foundation and the modernization of industrial chains. Implement the Smart Manufacturing Upgrade Project and carry out demonstration and promotion of “5G+Industrial Internet,” network-enabled collaborative manufacturing, digital workshops, and smart factories. Encourage key manufacturing enterprises to expand from intelligent production to full-process intelligence—covering R&D, design, management, warehousing, logistics, and services—to establish a hub for exporting smart manufacturing solutions.Vigorously attract leading domestic and international smart manufacturing demonstration enterprises; support enterprises in the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in advancing international collaborative R&D; and actively integrate into the global supply chains, innovation chains, and value chains of the international high-end manufacturing sector.
9. Cultivate digital industry clusters. Research and explore new content, rules, and mechanisms for international industrial cooperation; strengthen and optimize competitive industries such as e-commerce, cloud computing, big data, information software, and the Internet of Things (IoT); and drive a second wave of industrialization in the digital sector. Focus on “strengthening and extending the industrial chain” in the semiconductor sector; implement the Integrated Circuit Breakthrough Project; and bolster “hard” digital economy industries such as digital security, integrated circuits, and network communications.Plan and advance the construction of China V-Valley from a high starting point; accelerate the development of a global digital security industry hub; and promote the development of the smart connectivity industry, with a focus on digital security, intelligent vision, and artificial intelligence. Continuously expand artificial intelligence application scenarios centered on the City Brain; and develop future industries such as quantum communication, blockchain, and aerospace around the innovation chain.
10. Promote the development of the life sciences and healthcare industry. Accelerate the construction of the Hangzhou Pharmaceutical Port, build a full-chain biopharmaceutical R&D ecosystem, and promote the development of new drugs based on novel structures, targets, and mechanisms. Accelerate the development of industries such as biotechnology drugs, biomedical engineering, high-end medical devices, and smart healthcare. Seek to establish a “port of entry for first-time imported drugs and biological products” to facilitate rapid customs clearance and inspection for biological products, laboratory animals, and experimental equipment and materials.Support the development of internet-based healthcare and seek to eliminate the “filing requirements for online medical device sales enterprises” and “filing requirements for changes to online medical device sales enterprises.” Seek to gradually open up the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone to allow foreign capital to establish specialized healthcare institutions, such as foreign-invested healthcare and insurance institutions and health management organizations. Launch a pilot program for the medical device registrant system, allowing medical device registration applicants or registrants to entrust enterprises with the appropriate production capabilities to manufacture samples or products. Explore the establishment of fair mechanisms for the valuation, rating, and recognition of biopharmaceutical intellectual property rights.
(3) Focusing on digital finance, build a hub for financial technology innovation and development.
Focusing on “financial services supporting the real economy,” we will innovate fintech applications, increase the supply of effective financial services, and orderly advance the free and convenient cross-border flow of funds between the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone and overseas markets. By 2025, we aim to achieve a citywide cross-border RMB settlement volume exceeding 600 billion yuan.
11. Innovate and develop cross-border payments. Integrate resources such as cross-border payments and trade financing to establish a comprehensive payment and settlement system, and build a cross-border payment center tailored to the digital economy era, characterized by small transaction amounts and high transaction frequency. Explore regulatory models and standards for cross-border payments under new forms of cross-border trade; conduct pilot programs for cross-border foreign exchange facilitation in goods and services trade; and explore shifting banks’ review of documents from pre-transaction to post-transaction.Actively leverage bank card clearing licenses to develop diversified payment and clearing services, support foreign merchants in conveniently using mobile payments within China, and support pilot programs to facilitate cross-border payments by overseas merchants to domestic suppliers online. Support banks in directly handling foreign exchange receipts and payments for cross-border e-commerce.Provided that risks are controllable, support transparent foreign exchange collection models for cross-border e-commerce under the overseas warehouse model. Guide domestic payment institutions to provide high-quality services for digital trade, and support enterprises engaged in cross-border payment businesses in obtaining domestic payment licenses through mergers and acquisitions.
12. Promote the internationalization of the renminbi. Expand the scope of trade and investment facilitation for high-quality enterprises and further enhance the level of trade facilitation.Support cross-border e-commerce enterprises in pricing and settling transactions in RMB, and encourage financial institutions to collaborate with payment institutions to conduct cross-border RMB settlement. Focusing on countries along the Belt and Road and foreign trade and economic industrial parks, broaden the scope of RMB usage overseas. Explore the cross-border transfer of trade financing assets and non-performing assets priced and settled in RMB to broaden enterprises’ overseas financing channels. Support financial institutions in providing cross-border RMB trade financing and refinancing to foreign trade enterprises.
13. Promote financial reform and innovation.Explore pilot programs for integrated RMB and foreign currency accounts. Explore pilot programs for Qualified Foreign Limited Partners (QFLP), gradually lift restrictions on investment scopes in public markets, and advance institutional innovation in the field of science and technology finance. Encourage enterprises to raise funds overseas and establish channels for capital repatriation; support local multinational corporations in exploring integrated RMB and foreign currency cash pooling services; address obstacles to offshore trade fund receipts and payments—where both ends of the transaction occur overseas—based on genuine trade backgrounds; and promote the development of offshore and transshipment trade.Vigorously develop financing services such as intellectual property pledge loans, accounts receivable pledge loans, warehouse receipt pledge loans, and bill discounting to reduce corporate financing costs. Explore the development of offshore insurance business. Seek to launch the China Securities Regulatory Commission’s (CSRC) Zhejiang Innovation Pilot for Regional Equity Markets, and establish an inclusive financial service system for the capital market based in Hangzhou, covering the entire province, and extending to the Yangtze River Delta region. Support the establishment of private banks, explore equity-debt linkage, and support the development of technology-based enterprises.
14. Deepen innovation in the application of fintech. Orderly advance the national fintech regulatory innovation pilot program; encourage technology-driven financial applications by major tech companies; focus on cross-border e-commerce, financing services for small and micro enterprises, and mobile payments; and explore innovative application models for digital financial infrastructure, institutional arrangements, and regulatory technology.Accelerate the development of the Qiantang River Financial Hub and strengthen coordinated development with platforms such as the Yuhuangshan South Fund Town in Shangcheng District, the Xixi Valley Internet Finance Town, the Grand Canal Wealth Town, the Haichuang Park Technology Finance Cluster, the Qiantang River Financial City, and the Xianghu Financial Town. Encourage the development of fintech industries such as supply chain finance, blockchain finance, and regulatory technology.Improve the construction of credit and financial service platforms, conduct comprehensive credit rating assessments for technology enterprises, promote international standards, and accelerate the development of the Hangzhou International Fintech Center.
(4) Build a major gateway to the Asia-Pacific region supported by digital logistics.
Focusing on the “Four-Port Synergy,” with the airport as a distinctive feature and the information hub as a connecting link, we will advance the construction of the digital hub (eHub) network system and integrate sea, land, and air logistics channels. We aim to achieve one million tons of air cargo volume at Hangzhou Airport by 2025, establishing it as a major global air cargo hub.
15. Enhance the service capacity of the airport. Streamline the approval procedures for airlines to operate international routes to countries along the “Belt and Road” where air rights are open; implement the launch of fifth-freedom routes; and vigorously develop international routes and international charter flights. Actively promote Xiaoshan International Airport in expanding international cargo routes to emerging markets such as those along the “Belt and Road,” Southeast Asia, and Africa; strengthen coordination with Pudong International Airport; and foster a regionally integrated international air cargo sorting center.Strive to integrate rail freight lines with airport logistics, and support the development of a logistics network for the collection and distribution of airport cargo. Support the construction of a business jet service center and seek to facilitate customs clearance for business jets under maintenance contracts. Accelerate the expansion of bonded aviation fuel infrastructure to enhance the capacity for refueling domestic and international flights with bonded aviation fuel at Xiaoshan International Airport. Support airlines in establishing aircraft headquarters leasing companies to conduct bonded aircraft leasing and financial leasing operations.
16. Accelerate the construction of the “Digital Port.” Innovate “Internet Plus Port” services to build a “Digital Port” featuring data connectivity, digital perimeter fencing, sub-second clearance, smart logistics, and comprehensive services. Fully implement electronic customs clearance and smart checkpoint models to improve cargo clearance efficiency. Establish a digital supervision platform to track the movement of goods under customs supervision.Explore new models of multimodal transport by sea, land, and air to promote coordination among the “Four Ports” and facilitate customs clearance. Support cooperation between the urban cargo terminal of the Hangzhou Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Shanghai Pudong International Airport to promote through-transportation of cargo between the two terminals, achieving local declaration and mutual recognition of data.
17. Build a digital logistics hub system. Integrate resources from leading enterprises such as Cainiao, SF Express, and the “Three Tong and One Da” group to refine a comprehensive logistics industry chain that integrates sea, land, and air transportation, port services, distribution and handling, bonded warehousing, and express delivery. Advance the digitalization and intelligent operation of elements across the entire logistics industry chain, strengthen the consolidation and consolidation functions for all modes of cross-border e-commerce exports, and establish a digital logistics hub. Relying on the Xiasha Virtual Airport, achieve land-air integration.Support the accelerated deployment of eHub global nodes through market-oriented approaches to establish them as core nodes of the global logistics backbone network.
18. Promote the development of airport-related industries. Strengthen the coordinated development of the Hangzhou Airport Economic Demonstration Zone and the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and foster innovative development in airport-related industries such as cross-border e-commerce, modern logistics, airport-based manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, and exhibitions. Explore the development of new technologies, business models, and formats under the “on-shore, off-customs” model, and vigorously promote the efficient allocation of factors such as finance, capital, and talent within the region.Accelerate the integration and upgrading of the Hangzhou Bonded Logistics Center (Type B) and the East Zone International Cargo Terminal of Xiaoshan International Airport into the Hangzhou Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone to achieve “zone-port integration.”Support the coordinated development of relevant airport-oriented industries with the Hangzhou Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone, and strive to conduct bonded R&D for biopharmaceuticals and bonded maintenance for aviation materials outside the zone. Establish a global bonded maintenance center, streamline tax-exempt repair procedures, and explore the establishment of a bonded maintenance system for advanced manufacturing. Support the construction of aviation materials maintenance, trading, and storage centers serving both domestic and international markets, and carry out operations such as the import and export, maintenance, storage, and trading of aviation materials.
(5) Focus on digital governance to create a world-class business environment.
Focusing on “holistic intelligent governance,” we will advance digital empowerment, deepen reforms to expand authority, improve institutional frameworks, and strive to build a governance system compatible with the development of the entire digital industry chain.
19. Accelerate the construction of a “Digital Government.” Guided by the principles of “controllable risk and promoting openness,” leverage the advantages of “digital supervision and end-to-end monitoring” to establish risk prevention and precision smart control mechanisms, and implement secure and efficient intelligent precision monitoring. Improve the “City Brain” to form an operational model of “one brain governing the entire city, with both ends empowered.”Advance the development of Government Services 2.0 and the “Qinqing Online” digital platform, take the lead in implementing “decentralization” reforms, and promote the full coverage of “mobile services” and “mobile office” across the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.Advance the aggregation and integration of departmental data, as well as the decentralization of services. Establish data interfaces with corporate credit platforms and enterprise databases to promote the coordinated application of government and social data. Improve regulatory services during and after the fact, advance “Internet Plus Regulation,” and explore the establishment of a big data information regulatory system to support business-side systems such as “market entry upon commitment.”
20. Advance integrated reforms to the business environment. Support the prioritized piloting of major reform measures in the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, and strive to have more administrative authorities delegated to the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in accordance with the law and upon approval. Benchmarking against international best practices, deepen the “streamlining administration, delegating powers, and improving services” reform to build a new model of government services characterized by the fewest approvals, simplest processes, and highest efficiency, and advance the construction of a national pilot city for business environment innovation.Deepen the pilot program for integrated business environment reform in the Hangzhou Qiantang New Area, exploring the establishment of a new full-cycle service model for the “Investment Home” and a new support model for the development of the biopharmaceutical industry. Support the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone in deepening its exploration of land management systems. Implement the two “negative lists” for foreign investment access and market access to ensure freedom of enterprise operations and market competition.Establish a “single window” for international investment, further reduce or eliminate restrictions on foreign investment access, and expand openness in the digital economy, internet, artificial intelligence, and life sciences sectors; strive to gradually allow foreign capital to establish wholly-owned medical institutions in the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone and remove restrictions on the equity ratio of foreign capital in joint-venture medical institutions.
21. Enhance the city’s international service capabilities. Promote reforms to the city-wide coordination mechanism, accelerate the construction of major infrastructure and smart upgrades, and advance the planning and construction of major projects such as the “Future City” initiatives at the airport, the Grand Exhibition Center, Hangzhou Cloud City, Xianghu Lake, and the Three Rivers Convergence area.Deepen all-round international cooperation, leverage the impact of the Asian Games, and strive to attract more international conferences, sporting events, and international organizations to the city. Establish a one-stop comprehensive service platform for China-Africa exchange and cooperation, and advance the development of the China-Singapore Future City. Introduce high-quality domestic and international higher education resources to establish Sino-foreign cooperative education programs, attract international medical institutions, launch pilot projects for the development of several international communities, and enhance the city’s international service capabilities.
22. Optimize the talent service environment. Implement the Peak Talent Recruitment and Cultivation Plan, and rely on major national, provincial, and municipal talent programs to prioritize the recruitment of world-class scientists. Guide enterprises to attract high-level talent from home and abroad through various means, such as equity participation based on technology, establishing postdoctoral research stations, and academician workstations.Deepen the implementation of the National Immigration Administration’s 12 convenience policies and Hangzhou’s 7 entry-exit convenience policies. Explore and seek to secure conveniences for certified high-level foreign talent regarding visa frequency, residence permits, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Seek to allow high-level foreign talent and senior management from both Chinese and foreign entities to hire foreign domestic workers and apply for residence permits for private affairs.Grant foreign professionals greater freedom and convenience in employment and entrepreneurship. For foreign nationals holding private affairs residence permits with an “entrepreneurship” endorsement, strive to grant them the same treatment as those holding work-related residence permits. Implement special incentive programs for high-level talent, providing rewards based on classification and tier for eligible individuals. Research and formulate supporting housing policies, construct international free trade apartments, and offer home purchase or residency benefits to recognized high-level talent.
23. Foster an optimal ecosystem for the digital economy. Improve the institutional mechanisms for the allocation of production factors, and prioritize the allocation of resources such as land, energy, finance, fiscal funds, and data to the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone.Vigorously cultivate the data element market and strive to establish a data trading center. Introduce and foster international intermediary organizations; permit wholly foreign-owned enterprises to establish talent intermediary agencies and allow foreign capital to directly invest in Chinese-owned talent intermediary agencies. Accelerate the construction of the China (Hangzhou) Intellectual Property Protection Center; improve the cross-border e-commerce integrity system; leverage the roles of the eWTP Secretariat, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/TC321), and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) Free Trade Agreement (Hangzhou) Service Center to participate in the formulation of international rules for the digital economy.Implement the spirit of the "Hangzhou Regulations on Empowering Urban Governance through the City Brain," support the Hangzhou Internet Court in fulfilling its service and safeguarding roles in advancing the construction of the Digital Economy Demonstration Zone, establish and improve a diversified international commercial dispute resolution mechanism that organically integrates and coordinates litigation, arbitration, and mediation, and refine the digital trade governance system.
IV. Guarantee Mechanisms
(1) Strengthen Organizational Leadership.
Establish a management body for the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, serving as the daily administrative office of the Leading Group for the Construction of the Hangzhou Area of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Strengthen its personnel, implement substantive operations, and assign it responsibility for comprehensive coordination, policy research, institutional innovation, and overall advancement. The administrative districts where the various sub-zones of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone are located shall bear primary responsibility for the Pilot Free Trade Zone work within their respective sub-zones, establish corresponding leadership mechanisms and administrative bodies, and ensure the implementation of tasks.
(2) Formulating an Action Plan.
In conjunction with the 14th Five-Year Plan, formulate a five-year action plan for the development of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone. Each sub-area within the Hangzhou Area and the linked innovation zones must establish an indicator system based on the requirement that development targets exceed the provincial and municipal averages; they must expedite the formulation of construction plans in accordance with the requirements for integrated planning; they must establish a project list, optimize industrial layout, and strengthen spatial guarantees. With a focus on attracting and advancing major projects, they must intensify efforts to foster industries and quickly create new economic growth points.
(3) Emphasize Innovation and Breakthroughs.
Treat integrated institutional innovation as a core task and consider replicability and scalability as fundamental requirements. Intensify efforts in original innovation, distinctive breakthroughs, and learning from best practices, followed by comprehensive integration and re-innovation. Compile an innovation list for the Hangzhou Zone of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, establish a system for identifying, summarizing, and evaluating outstanding cases of institutional innovation, fully leverage the role of leading enterprises such as Alibaba as key innovators, and increase rewards and incentives for market entities and government departments engaged in institutional innovation.Establish the Hangzhou Innovation and Development Center for the Pilot Free Trade Zone, explore models such as an employee-hiring system and a consultant system, and recruit enterprise representatives and experts from specialized fields to participate. Form several task forces dedicated to policy and institutional innovation. Establish a closed-loop system covering problem identification, solution research, breakthrough development, securing higher-level support, and implementation.
(4) Strengthen the Implementation of Responsibilities.
Incorporate the development of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone into the city’s key work assessment system, establish a supervision and evaluation mechanism, and promote a culture of mutual learning, competition, and excellence.All relevant departments, units, and districts, counties (cities) must earnestly assume primary responsibility for construction and refine task assignments; they must utilize technologies such as the internet and big data to establish statistical monitoring systems and conduct regular statistical analysis; they must establish a mechanism for phased assessment and summary, carry out evaluations, promptly summarize experiences and innovative achievements, and continuously advance the implementation of all reform tasks.
(5) Foster a Reform-Oriented Atmosphere.
All relevant departments and units must diligently publicize and interpret the reform and innovation policies of the Hangzhou Area of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, strengthen strategic cooperation with mainstream media, and conduct comprehensive “online + offline” publicity campaigns to showcase the new measures, progress, and achievements of the Hangzhou Area. A mechanism for tolerating errors in institutional innovation and an authorization management mechanism must be established within the Pilot Free Trade Zone; positive incentives should be strengthened; the principle of “distinguishing three categories” must be upheld; and bold experimentation and pioneering efforts should be encouraged.
This plan shall take effect on February 21, 2021, and the Office of the Leading Group for the Construction of the Hangzhou Area of the China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Municipal Bureau of Commerce) shall be responsible for leading and organizing its implementation.
