Li: Officials must boost climate for businesses

Premier Li Keqiang called on Tuesday for further concrete efforts to intensify administrative reform to build a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment.

Li made the remark at a national teleconference on streamlining administration, combining delegation of power with enhanced supervision and optimized government services.

Given the profound changes in the global economic and trade landscape, continuous efforts should be made to advance reform and opening-up, Li said.

The premier called the administrative changes an important move to deepen reform and expand opening-up, and he underlined the need to stimulate the vitality of market entities and unleash the huge potential of the domestic market to counter downward pressure on economic growth and promote high-quality development.

Institutional impediments should be removed to stimulate the vigor of the market, Li said. Fair and transparent rules and standards should be instituted so that all market entities will be treated equally and their lawful rights will be protected.

To build an internationalized business environment, the country will keep expanding opening-up, strengthening alignment with international trade rules and fostering competitive advantages, he said.

Li said the nation will shorten the negative list for market access to a large degree. A negative list sets out areas where investment is prohibited; all other areas are presumed to be open. The premier stated that administrative reform should be carried out in synergy with cutting more taxes and fees as part of the country's integrated efforts to improve the business environment.

It is important to build a fair business environment where market vitality is further stimulated, internal sources of growth are enhanced and the potential of domestic consumption is unleashed, Li said.

He stressed the importance of equitable supervision, saying it is only through fair competition that the market's vigor can be activated.

The premier also instructed that inclusiveness and prudence be used in overseeing emerging industries, and strict supervision employed in areas regarding safety and quality such as vaccines, medicine and special equipment.