II. Major Tasks for 2015
This year is critical for “deepening reforms in an all-round way”. It will witness the start of practicing “rule of law” in a comprehensive way and the completion of the 12th Five Year Plan. Therefore, it is of great significance that we do our job well this year. The Chinese economy has entered the “new normal” state. The key features and trends of the “new normal” state are particularly apparent in the capital’s economic performance. To promote development of the capital in a scientific way, we must always be committed to the following priorities in all fields of our work: adapt to the “new normal”; fulfill the new identity of “the four centers”, namely the political center, the cultural center, the center for international exchanges and the center for scientific innovation; and the new target of building a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and living-friendly. We must take solid steps and make constant achievements.
The overall requirements for the governmental work this year are as follows: fully implement the guidelines set at the 18th CPC National Congress, the 3rd and 4th Plenary Sessions of the 18th CPC Central Committee, and the Central Economic Work Conference; thoroughly study and seek guidance from the series of important speeches of General Secretary Xi Jinping and implement his important instructions with regard to the tasks of Beijing; adapt to the “new normal” and adhere to the policy line of seeking progress while maintaining stability; develop a good understanding of Beijing’s strategic identity; actively implement the strategy of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei synergetic development; focus more efforts on reform and innovation, growth quality and efficiency, ecological improvement, meticulous management of the city, safeguard and improvement of the people’s well-being, and the building of a law-based government; promote sustainable and sound development of the capital and take firm steps towards the building of a world-class metropolis that is harmonious and living-friendly.
Main targets for the city’s economic and social development are as follows: increase GRP by about 7%; keep the registered urban unemployment rate under 3%; achieve a real increase of 7% in the per capita income of urban and rural residents; keep the rise of the consumer price index at about 3.5%; increase the general public budget revenue by over 7% (on a comparable basis); devote about 6% of the GRP to R&D; reduce energy and water consumption and CO2 emissions per 10,000 yuan GRP by 2%, 4% and 2.5% respectively; lower the annual average concentration of PM2.5 by about 5%.
We will give priority to the following fields:
1. Promoting Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Synergetic Development
Promoting the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Synergetic Development is an important strategic decision made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council under the new historical condition; and it is the sure path for adapting to the “new normal”, bringing the new identity to fruition and marching towards the new targets. We will earnestly implement the Outline Planning for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Synergetic Development, work with our partners “as in one chess game”, and be ready to assume responsibilities and take actions, so as to get the synergetic development plan off at a good start.
Quickening steps on easing non-core functions of the capital. We will strictly control newly-added functions or industries and properly remove the existed ones. We will identify the functions and industries that are not compatible with the capital’s strategic identity. We will come up with concrete plans and put the plans into practice as soon as possible, so as to ensure substantive progress. We will execute the catalogue of prohibited and restricted new addition industries to the letter. We will remove the general manufacturing and prohibit new construction and expansion of manufacturing projects in the central city. We will accelerate relocation of wholesale markets near the Beijing Zoo and Dahongmen, and Tianyi small commodity wholesale markets; meanwhile, we will gradually formulate adjustment or relocation plans for other wholesale markets. We will promote the outward flow of parts of the public services, such as education and health care. We will facilitate education cooperation and personnel exchanges within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region; explore into co-construction of the new university town, the new R&D area, the business start-up park, and vocational education park. We will deepen health care cooperation, and jointly build high-level care hospitals and rehabilitation hospitals. We will encourage competitive old-age care institutions to establish old-age care bases in peripheral areas, thus providing equal access to public services within the region.
Taking the lead to make breakthroughs in three key areas. We will make and carry out Missions of the Year in traffic integration, ecological and environmental protection, and industrial matching and coordination, and make new progress as soon as possible. We will focus on the construction of inter-provincial and inter-city railways, expressways, and trunk highways at state and provincial levels, such as the Beijing-Shenyang Passenger Railway, Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, and Beijing-Taipei Expressway; we will connect dead-end roads and promote universal application of the same public transportation pass among major cities in the region. We will prioritize the construction of the Zhangjiakou-Chengde Ecological Functional Area; carry out regional eco-protection and development cooperation projects such as the watershed protection forest project and the sandstorm source treatment project; and promote ecological construction of the Transition Belt at the central area of Beijing-Tianjin-Baoding region. Based on win-win cooperation, we will promote the development of the Caofeidian Coordination Development Demonstration Area and the Tianjin Binhai-Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park. We will speed up the land acquisition and demolition for the new airport and the construction of its peripheral facilities, and push forward the planning formulation and implementation of the Airport Economic Zone.
Exploring ways to set up synergetic development mechanisms. We will focus on the mechanism for harmonizing planning across administrative regions and fields. We will push to establish unified plans and standards for eco-environment and unified monitoring and law enforcement systems, and actively explore ways to co-establish benefit distribution and responsibility sharing mechanisms regarding taxation, energy conservation and emission reduction in industrial parks. We will establish unified market-based transaction of corporate property rights, intellectual property rights, and rights to forests and minerals step by step; push to formulate policies and measures for cross-regional flow and optimized allocation of production factors, such as technologies and talents. We will facilitate the sharing of financial and tourism resources, and accelerate regional market integration.
Establishing a community of collaborative innovation. We will strengthen the support of coordinated innovation. Based on Zhongguancun and jointly built parks, we will facilitate the development of inter-provincial/municipal technological innovation platforms, encourage joint research, and form a technological innovation chain with the combination of “production, teaching and research” so as to establish an innovation development pattern featuring rational division of labor. We will improve the regional innovation system by jointly setting up strategic industrial alliances for technological innovation, improving the service system for technology trading which emphasizes shared information and unified standards, and advancing the establishment of integrated technology market. We will enhance the joint training of scientific and technological talents and technological management talents, set up a human resources information sharing platform, and strengthen the cross-region human resources flow mechanism.
2. Comprehensively deepening reforms and opening-up
Deepening reforms and opening-up is the source of power for adapting to the “new normal”, bringing the new identity to fruition, and marching towards the new targets. We will balance functions of the government and the market, advance coordinated reforms in all fields, and unleash the city’s full development potential.
Continuing to Streamline administration and delegate powers. We will be bold in reforming ourselves; we will delegate powers, provide support and regulate wherever necessary; we will leave space and set the stage for market players to start up and innovate. We will deepen reform of administrative approval system, eliminate another 200+ approval procedures, give up administrative approval procedures outside the Administrative Licensing Law, and strengthen the “during-the-approval” and ex post supervision according to law. We will deepen reform of investment project approval procedures, let municipal departments fulfilling the function of approval work at the Administrative Service Center, and standardize approval procedures and centralize approval services. We will deepen reform of commercial systems, actively implement the “License First” policy, implement multi-departmental joint services, and facilitate business entry into the market. We will comprehensively popularize the use of organization code, push forward inter-departmental data connectivity, and strengthen the establishment of social creditability systems.
Steadily implementing fiscal, taxation and financial reforms. We will implement the Budget Law, deepen budget management system reforms, expand the rolling budgets, and conduct whole-process budget performance management. We will expand the program for “replacing business tax with value-added tax”, and review and standardize preferential taxation policies. We will adjust gas and heating prices for non-residential use in a timely manner, study and carry out tiered pricing of gas for residential use, and actively advance reform of medical service pricing. We will implement the opinions on accelerating the establishment of a national technological and financial innovation center at the Zhongguancun National Proprietary Innovation Demonstration Area; push to set up private banks at Zhongguancun; offer support to the growth of private equity fund investment, venture capital fund, and angel investment; and strengthen efforts on innovation pilot programs in areas such as technology credit, technology insurance, and foreign exchange management. We will support the establishment and development of the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) and Beijing Equity Trading Center (BETC). We will improve local financial risk prevention and control system so as to effectively minimize financial risks.
Enhancing the vitality of various market players. We will introduce an implementation plan and supportive policies for reforms of municipal state-owned assets and enterprises. We will properly resolve legacy issues of these enterprises; enhance the cooperation between them and Central Enterprises and Zhongguancun High-tech Enterprises; improve their corporate governance structure; and increase the securitization rate of their assets. We will improve the supervision mechanism for state-owned assets. We will focus on asset supervision, and improve long-term incentives and disincentives for heads of state-owned enterprises. We will adjust and optimize the industry distribution of the state-owned economy; and concentrate more state-owned resources on public services, infrastructure construction, ecological and environmental protection and strategic emerging industry. We will expand pilot projects on market-based development of public utilities. We will encourage non-governmental investment in fields such as rail transit, township heating, and water environment treatment by such means as public-private partnership. We will give play to the superiority of the capital’s financial resources to support development of innovation-oriented SMEs. We will reduce charges on all enterprises to relieve their burdens, especially the burdens of small and micro enterprises so as to create a sound environment for the development of non-public sectors of the economy.
Expanding the all-round opening-up. In line with the identity as an international exchange center and in service of the nation’s international strategy, we will actively engage in the national initiative of “One Belt, One Road” and deepen international exchanges and cooperation. We will implement measures for supporting stable growth of foreign trade and enhancing trade facilitation; expedite the development of a demonstration base for foreign trade transformation and upgrading, and a demonstration zone for quality and safety of export products; push for the development of the Beijing Tianzhu Free Trade Zone and Pinggu Mafang International Logistic Base; encourage enterprises with proprietary brand and intellectual property to increase export; boost the development of cross-border e-commerce; and create new growth areas of foreign trade. We will deepen the opening-up of the service industry, promote service outsourcing, and work for sound development of trade in service. We will study and formulate implementation plan of promoting overseas investment and encourage enterprises to go global. We will step up Beijing-Hong Kong, Beijing-Macau and Beijing-Taiwan cooperation, and let the overseas Chinese affairs department serve as an important channel for external communication. We will do a good job in organizing and implementing annual assistance projects; advance one-on-one assistance for Xinjiang, Tibet and Qinghai, etc; and do a down-to-earth job of one-on-one assistance and collaboration.
3. Thoroughly implementing the innovation-driven development strategy
Innovation is a fundamental prerequisite for adapting to the “new normal”, bringing the new identity to fruition, and marching towards the new targets. Based on the identity as China’s cultural center and technological innovation center, we will constantly promote reforms of systems and mechanisms, and make new breakthroughs in technological and cultural innovations.
Accelerating the formation of the country’s technological innovation center. We will deepen reform of scientific and technological systems, improve innovation system, gather talents for innovation, upgrade independent innovation capability, and play a radiating and exemplary role in the development of an innovation-driven country. We will advance reform of the rights to use, dispose of, and profit from scientific achievements. We will facilitate formulation of measures for managing government-funded R&D projects and funds, measures that are in line with the pattern of innovation so as to stimulate innovation factors such as talents, funds, technologies, and management expertise. We will strengthen the principal position of enterprises in technological innovation; we will implement projects to build research institutions, guide research input and create an innovative environment; and we will support research institutions established by enterprises themselves or established jointly with universities and colleges, pilot testing bases, and commercialization bases. We will actively set up business startup and innovation platforms; we will take advantage of the Capital Science and Technology Infrastructure Center, the Capital Science and Technology Big Data Platform, and the Technological Innovation Federation and advance innovation through collaboration of industries, universities, research institutions and users. In support of the national innovation strategies, we will align our projects with the National Key Science and Technology Projects and the projects to develop national key science and technology infrastructure to serve the national innovation strategy. We will implement the Action Plan for Technological Innovation, “Ten Measures” for accelerating the commercialization of scientific achievements made by municipal universities and colleges, and “Nine Measures” for accelerating commercialization and industrialization of scientific achievements made by municipal research institutions; attempt to make breakthroughs in key areas and common technologies; connect technology transfer, product pilot testing, and promotion and application; set up a procurement platform for new technologies and products developed in all parts of China; and promote the commercialization and industrialization of scientific achievements. We will let Zhongguancun play a major role in implementing the “1+6” policy and “Four New” policies, and try to obtain new pilot policies from the state. We will improve the overall development mechanism of “one Zhongguancun Science Park plus sixteen sub-parks”, and promote the high-level development of the demonstration area.
Upgrading the capital’s cultural soft power. We will make every effort to promote the core values of socialism, extensively organize educational events under the themes of “Chinese Dream” and “rule of law”, further organize events that “promote civility and create a new ethos” and mass activities on public civility, and continue to upgrade the civility level of residents and the moral and ethical standards of the city. We will do a good job of providing services and safeguard for activities marking the 70th anniversary of the victory of Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, and spread the spirit of patriotism. We will let moral models and “Beijing role models” play an exemplary role, and do solid work to advance ideological and ethical progress. We will develop a modern public culture service system, introduce guidelines on developing public cultural facilities at the grass-roots level, and accelerate the development of cultural infrastructure, such as a Beijing Culture and Art Center, inspire the prosperity and development of literature and art, and produce a number of cultural masterpieces. We will enhance the protection, dissemination and development of outstanding traditional culture and heritage; do a good job in the protection and use of "Three Hills, Five Parks”, the Zhoukoudian archaeological heritage site, and the Great Wall Cultural Belt; improve the repair and restoration of historical and cultural preservation areas; and protect Beijing’s reputation as a renowned historical and cultural city. We will comprehensively advance innovation in institutions and mechanisms of culture, deepen reforms in state-owned cultural institutions by category, set up a long-term supporting mechanism for corporatized cultural institutions, improve cultural investment and funding systems, support the setup and development of Beijing Cultural Property Exchange Center, and create multi-layered cultural products and markets for factors of production. We will implement the plan to boost the development of cultural and creative industry functional zone and the upgrading of such industries; work to build the National Cultural Industry Innovation and Experiment Zone, the National Digital Publishing Base, China Music Valley and the Huairou Film Industry Demonstration Area; and promote the integrated development between cultural creativity and design services with science and technology, tourism, sports, and other related sectors. We will expand cultural exchange with foreign countries, facilitate cultural trade and encourage the cultural industry to go global, so as to enhance international influence of the capital’s cultural industry. We will increase the supply of sports products and services, speed up the sports industry and spare no efforts in organizing IAAF World Championship Beijing 2015.
Fostering the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. We will coordinate the import, cultivation and use of high-caliber personnel; promote the building of a Talent Zone; do a good job of implementing the “One-Thousand Talents Program” and “Overseas Talent Pooling Program”; carry out training projects for cultural talents under “four categories”; improve the evaluation and incentive mechanisms for talents, so that innovative talents will be willing to come and stay. We will encourage the development of innovation-oriented incubators and specialized incubators, intensify cultivation of intermediaries and social organizations, and speed up the building of a service system covering the full chain of innovation. We will issue policies and measures that facilitate the commercialization and utilization of intellectual property rights, establish a national public service platform for intellectual property rights, and impose punishment for infringements according to law. We will implement the national Quality Development Outline, strengthen the cultivation of brands, deepen the pilot projects on standards innovation and build a national innovation base for technology standards. We will implement the Zhongguancun “Startup China Guidance Project” and Action Plans for Participatory Innovation and create a favorable social environment for technological and cultural innovation.
