Xiong'an becomes magnet for new biz

Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province has become a sought-after destination for running a business as authorities in the area are diligently working to streamline tedious license procedures.

Leading coffee chain operator Starbucks recently obtained a new business license and food business operation permit for opening an outlet in the new area, situated about 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing.

"With efforts in the building of a cross-regional model of joint approval and issuance for business licenses and permits, we didn't need to go to Xiong'an to apply for the licenses. We needed to simply submit the required materials online, after which we successfully obtained the two necessary licenses in Beijing," said Kang Biwei, a senior manager for government affairs and social impact at Beijing Starbucks Coffee Co.

Kang said the innovative policy has simplified many complex procedures and reduced costs for the company.

According to Zhai Yujia, deputy head of the market entity admission department of the area's business environment bureau, this was the first successful attempt by the area to explore such a cross-regional model.

In May, the bureau signed a memorandum on this matter with related bureaus in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area and Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area, aiming to pioneer pilot initiatives in collaborative business access and operation approval.

"Our goal is to effectively shorten the time and distance for businesses, minimize their costs, and make it more convenient and efficient for them to conduct business and entrepreneurship in Xiong'an," Zhai told China Daily.

In the past, business entities were required to make at least one round-trip to handle these applications, she added.

Xiong'an has introduced 11 measures to provide strong support for the coordinated development of market entities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, including joint reviews and collaborative arrangements with Beijing and Tianjin by enhancing data sharing, Zhai said.

Xiong'an New Area was established in 2017 to advance a national strategy of coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It shoulders part of the functions that are not essential to Beijing's role as the nation's capital.

Various companies from Beijing spanning different business areas have started operating in Xiong'an, as the modern city is rapidly emerging as a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.

To provide better government services to companies and business entities, the area has concentrated on service optimization and innovation promotion in recent years, continuously intensifying efforts in reforming government services as well as innovation.

Notably, it has successively enabled 3,500 items for remote processing, with 192 matters accessible for local processing.

"We will gradually expand the pilot scope to encompass various types of business entities in the future," Zhai said.