Opinions sought over draft rules to boost Beijing's business environment

Beijing authorities are seeking public comments on a new set of regulations to improve the city's business climate.

Between Jan 1-30, citizens can enter the government-people interaction section on the Beijing Development and Reform Commission website to give their opinions and suggestions.

According to the draft regulations, Beijing will put in place a service system that covers a company's entire life cycle; from setup and securing credit all the way to cancellation and insolvency.

The goal is to make the capital a more attractive place for doing business.

Business setup and cancellation will be made easier under the regulations. For those looking to start a business, the time to obtain all the licenses, permits and clearance for general business activities will not exceed one working day.

Those who need a cancellation will be able to use a simplified procedure if they are clear of debts or have not begun operations after obtaining their business license. They may publish a cancellation notice via the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. If there is no objection after 20 days, the registration authority will cancel the registration for the enterprise.

The regulations will also help businesses with funding. To help small and medium-sized tech companies gain finance, the regulations stipulate that financial institutions are encouraged to provide innovative finance solutions. These include venture capital, insurance, securitization, trust and using intellectual property as collateral.

Beijing's financial regulators also arranged for loan providers to set up service desks at the municipal services center to offer greater convenience.

To make the bidding process fairer, the regulations stipulate that bid takers, including government agencies, must not impose unreasonable conditions to restrict or exclude potential bidders.

These include restrictions on patents, trademarks, brands, products, places of origin, branches and forms of ownership or organization. No additional points shall be awarded based on the bidder's performance or prizes received in a specific industry or administrative region.

The regulations contain detailed provisions on the standardization of administrative procedures. The city government's departments will have in place a guideline and a standardized workflow for administrative services. The authorities will set out the paperwork needed, time required, procedural steps, fees, contact details and how to file complaints.

If there is more than one way to complete a certain procedure, the one that is more convenient for the market entity shall be used. Municipal departments involved must not require market entities to provide application materials other than those laid out in the guideline.

The regulations also include provisions on aiding government-business communication. Contact channels such as hotlines, websites and social media platforms shall be made more effective.

The municipal department that first receives an enquiry must take responsibility for it. They must not refuse on the grounds that the matter doesn't fall within its scope of duty, according to the draft.

The regulations protect the rights and interests of IP owners with a punitive damages mechanism for infringements. Emerging fields such as data and network technologies will receive stronger protection for their inventions.

An alert system will be set up to send infringement warnings and also provide legal services and judicial relief for parties involved.

Since July 2017, regulatory reforms for improving Beijing's business environment have figured high on the city's agenda.

According to an official from the Beijing Development and Reform Commission, as quoted by Beijing Business Today, although the city has made significant progress in terms of ease of doing business, there is still room for improvement when compared with the world's top business destinations.

The new regulations will better protect the rights and interests of market entities and safeguard fair competition, the official said.

huyuyan@chinadaily.com.cn