In 2018, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, in conjunction with Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau, issued the Notice of Beijing Municipal Commission of Commerce and Beijing Municipal Finance Bureau on the Issuance of the "Implementation Plan for Beijing Foreign Trade Development Funds to Support Foreign Trade Enterprises in Beijing to Enhance International Operating Capabilities" (Jing Shang Wu Cai Wu Zi [2018] No. 24). This implementation plan is an updated version which optimizes and upgrades parts of the original plan.

The implementation plan consists of six key components:

(I) Targets and application conditions: corporate projects independently carried out by foreign trade enterprises to enhance their international operating capacity, and group training projects organized by eligible enterprises or social groups for foreign trade enterprises. It includes conditions to be met by foreign trade enterprises applying for corporate projects, and by organizers applying for group projects.

(II) Domains of funding support: The funds provide support for 15 types of corporate projects and group corporate training projects, such as international exhibitions, management system certification, product certification, overseas patent application, trademark registration, overseas advertising, international market promotion, foreign trade software, cloud services and other information technology applications, international market visits (fees for exhibitors at international exhibitions), overseas bidding (tendering negotiation), improving management scientific decision-making, upgrading financing services, online international exhibitions, and authorized use of product logos for "same production line, standards, and quality" schemes.

(III) Focuses of support: It will prioritize the activities of enterprises with original brands and independent intellectual property rights designed to develop international markets. It will prioritize foreign trade enterprises registered in the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone, along with foreign trade enterprises that have obtained nationally recognized high-tech status, in their development of international markets and other related activities. It will support enterprises' participation in international exhibitions, procurement of product certification, registration of trademarks abroad, and application for foreign patents. Priority will also be given to business expansion in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and other emerging international markets.

(IV) Criteria for funding support : The funds will support eligible projects with expenditure of at least CNY 10,000 (Expenditure on international market visits, online international exhibitions, and improvement of financing service projects may be less than CNY 10,000), at a funding ratio of 50 percent generally. For business expansion in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and other emerging international markets, the funding ratio may be increased to 70 percent. The funding ratio for product certification fees, credit product purchase costs, licensing fees for the use of product logos for "same production line, standard, and quality" schemes for export enterprises, and booth fees for online international exhibitions (domestic and overseas) may be increased to 70 percent. Each corporate project may receive funding of up to CNY 300,000 (except for improvement of financing services and product certification projects). Individual enterprises may receive a cumulative maximum of CNY 1 million of market development funding support within the year (except for enterprises with original brands and independent intellectual property rights, and foreign trade integrated services enterprises).

(V) Funding application procedure: The procedure for making an application for supporting funds includes eight steps: 1. Enterprise registration and application; 2. Enterprise registration confirmation and announcement of result; 3. Project plan application; 4. Project plan review and announcement of result; 5. Application for allocation of funds; 6. Review of fund allocation application materials, original invoices, and accounting vouchers; 7. Announcement of the results of fund allocation review, and 8. Allocation of funds.

(VI) Other matters: The Implementation Plan for Beijing Foreign Trade Development Funds to Support Foreign Trade Enterprises in Beijing to Enhance International Operating Capacity (Jing Shang Wu Cai Wu Zi [2018] No. 24) applies to projects for the enhancement of international operating capacity which occurred before December 31, 2020. This revised implementation plan applies to projects for the enhancement of international operating capacity occurring after January 1, 2021.

Tel: Foreign Trade Operation Division, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, (8610)55579511

(All information in this document is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only. In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)

(Source: Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau)