China continues employment expansion

At the State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Sept 20, the government decided to step up efforts to expand employment.

China has made employment a top priority and taken more proactive policies, which helped the country add more than 13 million urban jobs every year, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

Entrepreneurship and innovation should be encouraged to create jobs, with measures to be rolled out to support migrant workers to start their own businesses back home.

The State Council also urged developing market-oriented, specialized “makerspaces” and mass innovation and entrepreneurship demonstration bases, strengthening guidance services for innovation and improving policy support.

Details:>> Premier Li stresses efforts to expand employment

Cross-border e-commerce to boost foreign trade

Also at the executive meeting, the State Council decided to establish more pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce in cities with development potential.

China already has 13 pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce in cities, including Hangzhou, Shanghai and Tianjin, where new models for technical standards, business procedures and regulatory mechanisms are implemented.

Some good practices are going national, such as the development of online comprehensive service platforms which incorporate customs clearance, logistics, tax refunds, payments, fundraising and risk control services, as well as offline industrial parks providing whole-industrial-chain services.

Based on the principles of inclusive, prudent and effective supervision, the State Council urged integrating information on online platforms and establishing guarantee mechanisms to prevent transaction risks and protect consumers’ legal rights.

Detail:>> China to further cross-border e-commerce to boost foreign trade

State Council to further promote private investment

China has released a slew of measures to encourage private investment, including improving government services and offering more financing channels.

The measures also include delegating power, strengthening regulations and attracting more private funds for public-private partnerships, according to a guideline issued by the State Council on Sept 15.

Poor implementation of government policy, high costs and limited access to funding are the main obstacles to private investment, the guideline said.

The government will improve the credit rating system and optimize management of credit extensions for private businesses, increasing channels for them to raise funds.

Details:>> China encourages private investment by improving services

National catalog of occupational qualifications

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has issued a notice to release the national catalog of occupational qualifications.

It contains 140 items covering key industries such as economics, education, healthcare and transportation. No qualifications are allowed beyond the catalog, and items that do not belong to the industry access categories should not be linked to employment and entrepreneurship, according to the notice.

Easier housing transaction, registration

China will facilitate rights holders of real estate in matters of housing transaction and registration, according to a document co-issued by the Ministry of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

The two departments will send staff members to the service centers where the housing transaction unit and registration unit are separated, and set up a single window dealing with real estate-related affairs.

It will take fewer than three days to complete a general transaction, and fewer than five to finish a complex one.

The staff members will not be allowed to have applicants go through procedures on-site that can be handled online.

Clean winter heating in North China

The Chinese government has called for faster implementation of clean winter heating in northern China, to satisfy public demand and reduce pollutant emissions.

Efforts should be made to reduce the use of bulk coal, and promote setting up coal-free zones, according to a joint opinion released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance and the National Energy Administration.

Other regions across China should develop diverse heating approaches, such as clean coal and central heating.

Special inspection of highway law enforcement

The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security have issued an action plan to conduct a special inspection into highway law enforcement of overloading and speeding.

Irregular law enforcement and arbitrary charging will be cracked down on, according to the circular.

Local governments are banned from formulating standards inconsistent with national ones for identifying overloading and speeding, recruiting unqualified people to enforce the law, levying examinations and penalties beyond the legal limits, formulating systems for determining and collecting penalties and seeking kickbacks.

Upgrade road freight services

China will promote healthy development of the road freight industry from 2017 to 2020, according to a circular of action plan jointly issued by the Ministry of Transport and other 13 departments.

The plan includes promoting trans-regional examination of general freight vehicles and drivers every year, as well as integrating approvals of trans-provincial heavy-cargo transportation on online platforms.

Improvements will also include renovating roadside rest facilities, reducing tolls for drivers with electronic toll collection cards, encouraging drivers to obtain work-related injury insurance and formulating punishment lists for illegal modifications of freight vehicles, overloading and speeding, according to the plan.

There are more than 21 million people working in the freight industry, according to the Ministry of Transport.