Important Document Issued by Provincial Government! 21 Measures Further Improving the Development of SCODA
SCODA once again receives strong support from Shandong Provincial Government!
On January 22, the Opinions of Supporting the High-Quality Development of China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area of Shandong Provincial People's Government (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions of Supporting) was officially issued. It includes 21 measures of providing stronger support for the development of the "four centers" at SCODA, specifies that further improvement should be made in the objective and positioning, the planning and construction, the industrial planning and the opening and innovation. The measures will also facilitate deepening the development of the regional logistics center, modern trade center, two-way investment center, and the commercial, tourism and cultural exchange center, thus creating a model for local economic and trade cooperation under the international multilateral and bilateral framework.
Since it's construction was approved in 2018, SCODA has been fully implementing the important instruction of General Secretary Xi Jinping that "the Chinese government supports building a demonstration area in Qingdao". SCODA works diligently to build platforms, create models, gather industries and strengthen entities. The development of the "four centers" and the China-SCO Institute of Economy and Trade usher in a new era, and the building of a new platform for Belt and Road international cooperation comes to a new stage.
The brighter future takes strenuous efforts. SCODA is striving to brave through a new stage. While building platforms, connecting resources, providing solutions and guiding development with innovation, it requires higher-capacity empowerment and support to progress energetically.
21 Innovative Measures
As a pioneer of SCO local economic and trade cooperation, SCODA serves as a crucial window for the open communication between China and SCO countries, whose construction and development attracts attention from various sectors. It undertakes China's major strategic task of building a new platform for Belt and Road international cooperation, and carries the dreams of Shandong and Qingdao for creating a new hub for opening up.
The 21 measures in the Opinions of Supporting are innovative and practical.
For instance, regarding strengthening the modern trade center, it suggested building a distribution center for the "new three", which will be initiated by the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province, with responsibilities shared by Qingdao Customs and Qingdao Municipal Government. Specifically, measures will be taken, such as innovative means of transport for export, improved efficiency for customs clearance, and strengthening of functions of relevant ports. And efficient and characteristic service package for export will be stimulated, covering the whole process of "declaration, inspection and clearance". Leveraging the SCO International Hub Port, export will be expanded for high added-value, high technology and green and low-carbon products, such as electric passenger vehicles, solar cells and lithium batteries, thus building a distribution center for the "new three" oriented towards SCO countries.
The latest media news disclosed that in 2023, China had surpassed Japan to become the world's largest automobile exporter, and the new energy vehicles represented by the "new three" of foreign trade stood out. In Pakistan, Qatar and other countries engaged in building the Belt and Road, new energy vehicles made in China can be seen. In 2023, SCODA launched eight trains which are the first of their kinds in Shandong or in China, including the Chery automobile export train, in a bid to explore the used car export model featuring "offline park + online system + automobile train". And nearly 3,000 used cars were exported from January to November 2023, 4.5 times that of the whole year in 2022. At present, SCODA is planning to build a "Silk Road E-commerce" Comprehensive Service Base to create an e-commerce industrial cluster with SCO characteristics and a matrix of cross-border e-commerce brands, about which new energy vehicles are also an important direction.
In the part dedicated to strengthening the regional logistics center, it is proposed to build the SCO International Hub Port, and accelerate the construction of a modern and high-quality international logistics service network in collaboration with important domestic hubs such as Xi'an, Chengdu and Harbin.
In the part of strengthening the two-way investment center, it is proposed to deepen industrial chain and supply chain cooperation, focus on industrial Internet, high-end equipment and other fields, introduce and cultivate a number of innovative projects, attract upstream and downstream supporting enterprises, and promote the cooperation with Hong Kong Science Park to build various innovation platforms at the provincial level. It is also proposed to strengthen regional coordinated development, and support the SCODA to share resources and complement advantages with domestic and foreign industrial parks, localities, and provincial industrial parks through project cooperation and enclave economy, etc.
In the part of strengthening the commercial, tourism and cultural exchange center, it is proposed to expand channels of foreign exchanges and support foreign NGOs to set up representative offices in SCODA; and actively attract SCO countries and countries engaged in Belt and Road development to set up visa centers in Qingdao.
The 21 supporting opinions aim at implementing the short-, middle- and long-term objectives set out in the General Plan for the Construction of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area, and improving the development of SCODA in an all-round manner. It is worth mentioning that the "opinions of supporting" added five new items of "strengthening factor resources guarantee", to provide full support in system and mechanism, talent recruitment, factor supply, and personnel. For example, the policies, elements and other resources required by SCODA are guaranteed, and major reform and innovation matters are taken as key reform matters for the coordination and promotion across the whole province.
Two Documents Issued in Three Years
It is a major strategic decision announced, arranged and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping. Shandong and Qingdao have spared no effort in better developing SCODA and raising its reputation.
On December 31, 2020, the Circular of Shandong Provincial People's Government on Measures to Support the Construction of the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area was printed and issued by the Shandong Provincial People's Government (hereinafter referred to as the Measures). The Measures prioritized building the "four centers" at SCODA, and listed 18 specific measures to support the development of SCODA.
The 18 specific measures cover five aspects, including institutional innovation, industrial development, platform construction, people-to-people exchanges, and land-sea coordination. They support SCODA in audaciously exploring the establishment of a more open local economic and trade cooperation mechanism, actively strive for the qualification stipulated in policies on oil and gas development, improve the residence facilitation of high-end foreign talents and personnel of innovative and entrepreneurial teams, and enhance the operation capacity of international freight trains. They also encourage building platforms for joint development with shared benefits, such as cooperation hubs for SCO countries, and the SCO Multimodal Transportation Center.
The past three years have seen a substantial part of the blueprint drawn in the Measures turned into vivid practice. The development of the "four centers" of international logistics, modern trade, two-way investment and commercial, tourism and cultural exchange, as well as the China-SCO Institute for Economy and Trade have secured solid progress. And all-round breakthroughs have been made in institutional innovation, regional collaboration and international cooperation, etc.
Standing at a higher starting point, SCODA needs empowerment with higher capacity. And the Provincial Government issued the 21 measures at a perfect timing to support SCODA's leap-forward development.
Taking the Lead as a Pioneer
We should innovate courageously and prioritize pragmatism. Looking back at 2023, SCODA focused on building a new platform for Belt and Road international cooperation, highlighted the attributes of international public goods, and amplified the demonstration effect of the platform, achieving comprehensive breakthroughs in regional collaboration and international cooperation.
For instance, in terms of the international logistics center, it has established cooperation relationship with 20 port cities, and operated 31 train routes reaching 54 cities in 23 SCO countries and countries engaged in Belt and Road development. 863 China Railway Expresses ran in the whole year, up by 11.4% year-on-year. In terms of the two-way investment center, it has strengthened exchanges and cooperation with the key industrial fields of SCO countries and countries engaged in Belt and Road development, and jointly established the China-SCO Industrial Park Alliance with 40 industrial parks at home and abroad.
In the vibrant spring at the beginning of the new year, Qingdao is forging ahead. Empowered by the Opinions of Supporting, SCODA will take stronger and faster measures to create a new hub for opening up in the new era.
Looking into 2024, SCODA will follow the mindset of "taking pragmatic measures internally and seeking international cooperation actively". Internally, it will leverage the Administrative Committee of SCODA to consolidate the construction of the "five new cities" of the SCO International City, the Airport New City, the Hub Port New City, the COSMOPlat New City, and the Banqiao New City. Externally, it will collaborate with other districts and county-level cities through the SCODA offices, to deepen the model featuring platform to platform, and ecology to ecology, promote joint development of platforms with shared resources and win-win cooperation, and make concerted efforts to protect stable industrial and supply chains, thus taking the lead and pioneering the development of a modern major province and the Qingdao practice of the Chinese modernization.
-- Strengthening and optimizing supporting functions to strengthen the layout. In order to promote the construction of the "five new cities", SCODA will develop 15 bases including the "Silk-Road E-commerce" Comprehensive Service Base, and 38 functional clusters, and accelerate the building of 133 projects with a total investment of 271.69 billion yuan.
-- Improving the free flow of logistics and trade to strengthen the connectivity and integration. In 2024, more than five domestic and international train routes such as the SCODA-Pingxiang route will be opened, and the number of train services will exceed 1,000. Qingdao International Energy Exchange has attracted more than 400 enterprises, and the transaction volume has exceeded 150 billion yuan. More than 20,000 enterprises have been launched on the SCO Economic and Trade Comprehensive Service Platform.
-- Deepening practical cooperation to strengthen collaboration and coordination. SCODA will explore establishing the SCO Countries Industrial Development Commission, to draw a map for the SCO economic and trade cooperation, and boost the driving effect of economic and trade cooperation. The Xinjiang Branch of SCODA will be completed and put into operation. The construction of Tongjiang SCO Logistics Park will be launched. And we will also follow up on the existing collaboration with 18 provinces, 29 platforms, and 11 cities within Shandong Province, in a bid to form synergy and serve China's opening up.
We will gather the surging momentum to create a better future. Building SCODA well is a daunting task and provides opportunities. Only by riding on the momentum and advancing with the times can we seize the opportunities for development, actively seek reform, and yield fruitful results, thus facilitating Qingdao to lead the future development.