Pudong New Area pilots 'single permit' scheme

A new pilot scheme will be launched in the Pudong New Area to allow businesses from 31 industries to start operation with a single permit.

China’s State Council, or the Cabinet, approved the “one permit for one industry” project for market access in Pudong to deepen the reform of the Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone.

The pilot reform covers industries that are closely related to people’s lives and consumption along with those that involve a large number of small and micro enterprises and individual businesses, according to the State Council.

They include e-commerce, building projects, convenience stores, small restaurants, gyms, bookstores and cinemas.

Under the scheme, the multiple licenses and certificates previously required to start a new business will be replaced by a single comprehensive industrial permit.

Twenty-five permits that once required a nod from the State Council can now be approved by the Pudong district government. The businesses will be able to operate across the country with a single certificate.

Efficient market supervision institutions will be established with shared information and cooperation. Unnecessary law enforcement activities will be avoided.

The pilot scheme is expected to get promoted nationwide, the State Council said.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang chaired the executive meeting yesterday to hear the seventh State Council Inspection Report. The meeting aimed to ensure the implementation of new policies and give full play to their role in promoting economic stability and recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shanghai has launched a series of reforms to make doing business in the city easier and more efficient.

In another scheme, electronic licenses and seals will be automatically generated when a company’s business operations are approved. They can receive both of them at the same time via mobile phone.

Zhang Suoqing / SHINE