Circular of the Ministry of Commerce and Other Eight Departments Issuing Several Policy Measures for Promoting the Export of Services

Accelerating the development of trade in services is a crucial measure to expand high-standard opening-up and foster new drivers for the development of foreign trade. To implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, promote the export of services with greater intensity, and drive the high-quality development of trade in services, the following policy measures are hereby put forward.

I.  Fully Utilize Existing Central and Local Funding Channels to Actively Support Service Exports

Strengthen policy interpretation, guide local governments to make full use of existing central and local funding channels, and further support new forms and models of service exports such as digital services, high-end design, research and development, supply chain management, inspection and testing, certification and accreditation, intellectual property services, geographic information services, and language services, as well as green services including energy conservation services, resource recycling services, environmentalovernance services, environmental consulting services, carbon footprint accounting and management services, and integrated carbon management services. Cultivate key enterprises and projects in service exports.

II.  Enhance the Leveraging Role of the Guiding Fund for the Innovative Development of Trade in Services

Support the Guiding Fund for the Innovative Development of Trade in Services to increase investment in trade in services, strengthen linkage with local funds, and drive more social capital to invest in the fields of trade in services and digital trade. Revise the Catalogue of Key Areas for Service Exports and the Catalogue of Key Development Areas for the Service Outsourcing Industry, and strengthen professional guidance on the key investment directions of the fund.

III.  Optimize the Zero-Tariff Declaration Procedures for Service Exports

Strengthen inter-departmental coordination and information sharing, encourage more qualified regions to rely on relevant electronic information platforms, promote the use of electronic information to replace paper or electronic vouchers that need to be declared by enterprises when applying for service export tax refunds, and improve the efficiency of service export tax refund declaration.

IV.  Increase Support for Export Credit Insurance

Encourage China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (Sinosure) and other insurance institutions to increase support for service exports, further expand the coverage on the basis of existing supported areas such as transportation, maintenance and repair, and internet advertising. On the premise of controllable risks, enhance underwriting capacity and standards, optimize the quality and efficiency of claim settlement services, and provide more comprehensive risk protection for service exports. Encourage all regions to build trade in services comprehensive insurance platforms according to local conditions, introduce relevant supporting policies, and strengthen the guidance and training on credit risk management for trade in services enterprises.

V.  Improve the Precision of Export Credit Insurance Policies

Deepen the information sharing mechanism on trade in services enterprises with relevant insurance institutions, and strengthen professional guidance on the identification of service exports. Increase the supply of financial services for small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMEs), and improve the convenience of insurance services in light of the characteristics and needs of enterprises' foreign exchange collection and settlement. Improve the quality and efficiency of underwriting and claim settlement services in combination with the relevant characteristics of trade in services. Encourage banks to expand the credit enhancement function of policy-based insurance financing and optimize the business handling procedures.

VI.  Improve Bonded Supervision Systems

Introduce supporting measures for the bonded supervision of imported goods required for R&D, testing and training businesses carried out in integrated bonded zones. For enterprises in integrated bonded zones under white-list management, simplify the entry approval procedures for relevant R&D and testing articles (excluding special articles), and allow enterprises in integrated bonded zones to write off samples and consumables used for bonded testing businesses based on actual consumption. On the premise of complying with relevant national import supervision requirements, pilot the implementation of bonded supervision for the "two-ends-outside" integrated circuit and consumer electronics testing businesses carried out outside integrated bonded zones.

VII.  Facilitate Cross-Border Personnel Mobility and Inbound Consumption

Optimize visa policies for personnel of foreign-invested enterprises, scientific research and technical personnel, and high-level talents coming to China. Expand the scope of countries eligible for China's unilateral visa-free policy in an orderly manner, continuously optimize visa policies for foreigners coming to China, and improve regional visa-free entry policies. Enhance the convenience of inbound consumption for purposes such as sightseeing and tourism, family visits, medical treatment and health preservation, conference and exhibition participation, sports event attendance, study tours, and residential elderly care in China.

VIII.  Optimize the Management of Cross-Border Capital Flows

Steadily advance the pilot program of integrated domestic and foreign currency capital pools for multinational corporations, support service-oriented enterprises to join the pilot program of multinational corporation capital pool business as member enterprises, and facilitate intra-group capital allocation.

IX.  Improve the Convenience of Cross-Border Capital Settlement for Trade in Services

Continue to promote the convenience of trade in services settlement, and guide banks to optimize the cross-border capital collection and payment procedures for honest and compliant enterprises. For small-sum, high-frequency trade in services transactions between enterprises with long-term domestic and foreign cooperation, encourage banks to optimize review methods and improve capital settlement efficiency.

X.  Encourage the Transformation and Trading of Intellectual Property Rights

Accelerate the construction of an intellectual property value evaluation and transaction circulation system, improve intellectual property transaction, pledge registration and other information platforms, and encourage banks to strengthen cooperation with third-party intellectual property asset evaluation institutions to enhance their intellectual property value evaluation capabilities. Optimize the intellectual property pledge financing service system, support banking financial institutions to carry out pilots on internal evaluation of intellectual property pledge financing, and promote the full-process paperless handling of patent pledge registration. Support banks to provide loans for the R&D of intangible assets such as patent rights, and allow flexible arrangements according to business characteristics and operation modes to meet the needs of different patent R&D and transformation. Expand the coverage of intellectual property insurance, and strengthen targeted insurance protection for key links such as patent transformation and application, and intellectual property protection.

XI.  Promote and Regulate Cross-Border Data Flows

Formulate a catalogue of important data and issue more operable guidelines for the identification of important data. Optimize, adjust and dynamically update the negative list for data outbound transfer in pilot free trade zones (FTZs), and conduct research to explore the formulation of a national negative list for data outbound transfer in FTZs. Support qualified regions to explore convenient arrangements for cross-border transmission of personal information within multinational corporations, and allow the free cross-border flow of personal information within multinational corporations that have passed evaluation or certification. On the premise of complying with national network management systems, support relevant enterprises and scientific research institutions to more conveniently use networks for international trade, academic research and participation in international competition.

XII.  Accelerate the Development of International Data Service Business

Support qualified regions such as the Lingang Special Area of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Hainan Free Trade Port to carry out international data service business. To meet the development needs of new forms and models of trade in services, support the establishment of international data centers and cloud computing centers in FTZs, the Hainan Free Trade Port, and national comprehensive pilot and demonstration areas for expanding the opening-up of the service industry, to provide data processing services for various enterprises in need.

XIII.  Support Enterprises in Exploring the International Market

Further give play to the role of trade in services intermediary organizations, and provide legal support such as intellectual property protection, legal consulting, dispute resolution, arbitration and mediation for enterprises to explore the international market. Jointly formulate and regularly update the Catalogue of Well-Known International Trade in Services Exhibitions with industry competent departments and local commerce authorities. Increase support for trade in services enterprises to participate in domestic and foreign exhibitions, support enterprises to hold overseas exhibitions, cultivate independent overseas exhibition brands, and help trade in services enterprises explore the international market.