Six cities of Shenyang, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou and Chengdu, have been added to pilot programme for the further opening-up of the service sector in China. The General Plan for the three-year pilot programme is approved by the State Council and released by the Ministry of Commerce in January 2023. Beijing was the first pilot city listed in the programme in 2015, while four cities/provinces of Tianjin, Shanghai, Hainan and Chongqing were added in 2021.
The General Plan encourages the pilot cities to lift restrictions for market entry and to optimise relevant regulatory systems. Each city will focus on its areas of strengths and also sectors with potential to grow.
Nanjing lists 104 pilot tasks in 17 areas, including technical services, professional services, commercial services, logistics and transportation, education, finance, healthcare, telecommunications, cultural services and legal services. For example, foreign travel agencies will be supported to establish presence in Nanjing to develop the outbound travel business.
Hangzhou will develop eight key industries including digital services, technology services, financial services, cultural services, tourism and leisure, business services, health services, and logistics services. The city will also highlight its unique strengths especially in e-commerce, cultural tourism, and digital finance.
Wuhan’s pilot programme lists 90 tasks in total, focusing on technology service, professional service, logistics, education, healthcare, energy, culture, and also on promoting synergy between service and advanced manufacturing.
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