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November 24, 2015

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China in new moves to boost economy

CHINA is to speed up reforms to remove internal barriers to both foreign and do­mestic trade, the Cabinet said yesterday, a move designed to bolster domestic con­sumption in a slowing economy.

In a comprehensive statement on its web­site, the central government outlined plans to increase economic activity across a wide range of sectors.

China is looking to give both internation­al and domestic investors increased access to the world’s second-largest economy in a bid to promote consumption.

It pledged to boost the development of the retail, health, travel and sports sectors.

The statement follows the ruling Com­munist Party’s October plenum, which outlined the state’s broad strategic objec­tives for the next five years.

The State Council, or the Cabinet, said it was seeking to “eliminate all kinds of conspicuous and hidden administrative mo­nopolies” and “strengthen anti-monopoly laws” in an attempt to remove “protection­ist” policies between various provinces.

While weakening China trade comes on the back of falling commodity prices and softening global growth, analysts are also pointing a finger at provincial protectionist import substitution policies for artificially suppressing Chinese demand for foreign products.

The government also said in its state­ment that it would accelerate reform of the country’s residence registration, or hukou system, to unleash the spending potential of China’s rural population.

Rural residents will be supported to buy their own homes and small and me­dium-sized cities will be encouraged to implement tailored policies that are favor­able to them.

All Chinese residents have a hukou that determines their access to education and other social welfare services.

University graduates who choose to settle in provincial capitals and smaller cities would be granted local residence registra­tion, the document said.

The government also pledged to improve Internet infrastructure and e-commerce logistics of the “last mile” — the final por­tion of a package’s journey from a retailer’s warehouse or store to a customer’s front door.

It also said it would expand the scope of the 72-hour transit visa, improve tax re­bates for tourists and attract international consumers by hosting shopping festivals, film festivals, fashion weeks and book fairs.

The country’s three anti-monopoly regu­lators — the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Com­mission, and the State administration for Industry and Commerce — said in Septem­ber that they would be widening market access for foreign firms.




 

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