Central Committee of the Communist Party of China State Council
Guiding Opinions on Supporting Hainan’s Comprehensive Deepening of Reform and Opening Up
(April 11, 2018)
The establishment of Hainan Province and the development of its economic special zones are significant strategic decisions made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in view of the overall situation of China’s reform and opening up and socialist modernization construction.
The year 2018 marks the beginning of implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Party, the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Hainan Province and its economic special zones.
Under the new historical conditions, in order to comprehensively implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Party and the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, to further highlight the significant significance of China’s 40 years of reform and opening up, and to further demonstrate the significant significance of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s leadership in comprehensively deepening reform and opening up since the 18th National Congress of the Party, it is proposed to promote Hainan to become a new benchmark for comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up in the new era, to form a new pattern of higher-level reform and opening up, to explore the realization of higher-quality, more efficient, fairer, and more sustainable development. The following opinions are now proposed.
1. Significant Importance
Hainan Province was born out of reform and opening up, and it thrived because of it. In 1988, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China approved the establishment of Hainan Province and the establishment of its economic special zones. Over the past 30 years, Hainan Province has effectively fulfilled the historical mission entrusted by the Central Committee of the Party and the State Council, boldly innovated, worked hard, and achieved significant achievements in promoting economic and social development.
It has transformed from a remote island into an important window of China’s reform and opening up, achieving earth-shaking changes and providing valuable experience for the entire nation. Practice has proven that the decision of the Central Committee of the Party regarding the establishment of Hainan Province and its economic special zones was entirely correct.
Against the backdrop of socialism with Chinese characteristics entering a new era, endowing the Hainan Economic Special Zone with a new mission of reform and opening up is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed, and promoted by General Secretary Xi Jinping.
It will undoubtedly have significant and far-reaching implications for constructing a new pattern of reform and opening up in China. Supporting Hainan’s comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up is conducive to exploring replicable and scalable experiences, expanding the breadth and depth of reforms, and improving and developing the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.
It is also conducive to actively participating in and promoting the process of economic globalization, developing a higher-level open economy, accelerating the formation of a new pattern of comprehensive opening up, promoting Hainan to achieve socialist modernization at a faster pace, creating new highlights of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, demonstrating the superiority of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and enhancing the cohesion and centripetal force of the Chinese nation.
2. Overall Requirements
(1) Guiding Ideology.
Fully implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Party and the second and third plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee, adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, uphold the overall leadership of the Party, adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, adhere to the new development concept, coordinate the promotion of the overall layout of the “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan” and the coordinated advancement of the “Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy”.
Take supply-side structural reform as the main line, endow the Hainan Economic Special Zone with a new mission of reform and opening up, build a free trade pilot zone and a China-featured free trade port, emancipate the mind, innovate boldly, focus on exploring the construction of a modern economic system, achieving high-level opening up, enhancing tourism consumption levels, serving major national strategies.
Strengthening social governance, creating a first-class ecological environment, improving the talent development system, and other aspects, take the lead in implementing the major decisions and deployments of the 19th National Congress of the Party, create vivid examples of practicing socialism with Chinese characteristics, and create a new situation of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, making greater contributions to building China into a socialist modernized strong country that is prosperous, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.
(2) Strategic Positioning
Comprehensive Deepening of Reform and Opening Up Experimental Zone: Promote the spirit of daring to explore, daring to innovate, and being a pioneer in hard work, and take the lead in economic system reform and social governance innovation. Adapt to the new situation of economic globalization, implement a more proactive open strategy, explore the establishment of a new system for an open economy, and build Hainan into an important gateway for China’s opening-up to the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
National Ecological Civilization Experimental Zone: Firmly establish and practice the concept that green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets, steadfastly follow the path of civilized development with production development, affluent living, and good ecology, promote the formation of a new pattern of modern construction that harmonizes human beings and nature, and explore new experiences in promoting national ecological civilization construction.
International Tourism Consumption Centre: Promote the opening-up of the tourism consumption sector, actively cultivate new hotspots for tourism consumption, vigorously improve service quality and internationalization level, and create an internationally renowned tourist destination with diverse formats, clustered brands, comfortable environments, and distinctive features.
National Major Strategic Service Guarantee Zone: Deeply integrate into major strategies such as building a maritime power, the Belt and Road Initiative, and military-civilian integration development, comprehensively strengthen support and guarantee capacity building, effectively fulfil the important missions entrusted by the Central Committee of the Party, and enhance Hainan’s status and role in the national strategic pattern.
(3) Basic Principles
Adhere to and Strengthen the Party’s Leadership in Reform and Opening Up: Throughout the entire process of comprehensively deepening reform and opening up in Hainan, uphold the Party’s leadership, enhance the “Four Consciousnesses,” maintain the “Four Confidences,” consciously safeguard the authority and centralized unified leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, cultivate and practice socialist core values, and ensure the socialist orientation of reform and opening up.
Uphold Overall Promotion and Steady Implementation: Strengthen top-level design, enhance the systematic and coordinated nature of reform, ensure that various reform measures complement each other and achieve mutual benefits, and improve the overall effectiveness of reform. Scientifically grasp the implementation steps of reform measures, strengthen risk assessment and tracking warnings, pay attention to rectification and adjustment, and actively guard against potential risks.
Coordinate Land and Sea Protection and Development: Strengthen the construction of marine ecological civilization, intensify efforts in marine protection, strengthen the protection of marine rights and interests, scientifically and orderly develop and utilize marine resources, cultivate and expand distinctive marine economy, and form a new pattern of coordinated development of land and sea resources, industries, and space interaction.
Emphasize the Key Role of Talent: Adhere to the principle that talent is the primary resource, boldly innovate in talent cultivation, introduction, and utilization, gather talents from all over the world, make efforts to attract, retain, and utilize all kinds of talents effectively, making Hainan a gathering place for talents and a hub for technological innovation.
(4) Development Goals
By 2020, synchronize with the national goal of comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, ensure that all rural poor people are lifted out of poverty under the current standards, and all poverty-stricken counties have shed their poverty labels; make significant progress in the construction of the free trade pilot zone, with significantly increased international openness; improve the public service system, and significantly enhance the sense of gain among the people; establish the basic framework of the ecological civilization system, and maintain the ecological environment quality at the forefront nationwide.
By 2025, significantly improve the quality and efficiency of economic growth; establish the preliminary system of the free trade port, and achieve a first-class business environment domestically; further enhance democratic and legal systems, significantly improve the modernization level of governance system and capacity; reach the advanced level domestically in terms of public service level and quality, and basically achieve equal access to basic public services; continue to maintain the leading level of ecological environment quality nationwide.
By 2035, take the lead in socialist modernization construction nationwide; further mature the institutional system and operation mode of the free trade port, and elevate the business environment to the forefront globally; improve people’s living standards, take solid steps towards common prosperity for all, and achieve international advanced levels in high-quality public services and innovation and entrepreneurship environment; maintain world-leading levels of ecological environment quality and resource utilization efficiency; basically form a modern social governance pattern, and have a dynamic, harmonious, and orderly society.
By the middle of this century, pioneer in realizing socialist modernization, establish a highly market-oriented, internationalized, rule-of-law-based, and modern institutional system, become a region with leading comprehensive competitiveness and cultural influence, basically achieve common prosperity for all, and build a beautiful new Hainan with economic prosperity, social civilization, ecological liveability, and people’s happiness.
3. Building a Modern Economic System
Adhere to putting quality first and prioritizing efficiency, take supply-side structural reform as the main line, promote qualitative changes, efficiency changes, and dynamic changes in economic development, improve total factor productivity, accelerate the establishment of an open, ecological, and service-oriented industrial system, further improve the socialist market economy system, and continuously enhance Hainan’s economic innovation and competitiveness.
(5) Deepening Supply-Side Structural Reform
Persist in focusing on the real economy as the key point of economic development, closely centering around improving the quality of the supply system, supporting the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries in Hainan, accelerating the development of modern service industries, and nurturing new growth drivers. Promote the transformation and upgrading of the tourism industry, accelerate the construction of a tourism industry system based on sightseeing tourism, focusing on leisure vacations, featuring cultural and sports tourism, and health tourism, and promote the development of comprehensive tourism.
Aim at international advanced levels, vigorously develop modern service industries, and accelerate the innovative development of service trade. Coordinate the implementation of the strategy for building a cyber power, the big data strategy, and the “Internet Plus” action, vigorously promote the development of the new generation of information technology industry, promote the deep integration of the Internet, Internet of Things, big data, satellite navigation, artificial intelligence, and the real economy.
Encourage the development of virtual reality technology and vigorously develop the digital creative industry. Develop the marine economy with a high starting point, actively promote the commercial exploitation of natural gas hydrates and seabed minerals in the South China Sea, encourage private enterprises to participate in the development of South China Sea resources, accelerate the cultivation of emerging industries such as marine biology, desalination and comprehensive utilization of seawater, marine renewable energy, and research and development and application of marine engineering equipment, and support the construction of modern marine ranches. Implement the rural revitalization strategy, strengthen and improve tropical characteristic and efficient agriculture, build a national modern tropical agriculture base, support the creation of futures varieties of Hainan characteristic agricultural products, and accelerate the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.
(6) Implementing the Strategy of Innovation-Driven Development
In strategic fields such as deep-sea exploration, marine resource development and utilization, and aerospace applications, support Hainan in planning and constructing a number of major scientific research infrastructure and condition platforms, establish major aerospace technology innovation bases and the Southern Centre of the National Deep Sea Base, and create a strategic highland for space technology innovation. Strengthen the construction of the National Southern Breeding Research and Breeding Base (Hainan), build the National Tropical Agricultural Science Centre, and support Hainan in establishing a global transfer base for animal and plant germplasm resources.
Establish the Hainan International Offshore Innovation and Entrepreneurship Demonstration Zone. Establish scientific and technological innovation management systems and international scientific and technological cooperation mechanisms in accordance with the laws of scientific research. Encourage exploration of intellectual property securitization and improve the credit guarantee mechanism for intellectual property rights.
(7) Deepening Economic System Reform
Deepen the reform of state-owned enterprises, promote mixed-ownership reform at the group level, improve the corporate governance structure, and perfect the modern enterprise system. Improve various systems for managing state-owned assets, explore the establishment of government-authorized state-owned capital investment and operation companies, accelerate the horizontal integration, vertical integration, and specialized restructuring of state-owned enterprises, and strengthen and optimize state-owned capital. Improve the system of property rights protection, strengthen government integrity and business environment construction, clear out and abolish provisions and practices that hinder the unified market and fair competition, crack down on unfair competition, stimulate and protect entrepreneurial spirit, support the development of private enterprises, and encourage more market entities and social entities to engage in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Deepen the reform of agricultural and land reclamation, promote the reform of collectivization and enterprise-orientedization of reclamation areas, orderly promote the capitalization and capitalization of land assets, encourage social capital to participate in the reform of reclamation projects and state-owned farm reform through the establishment of agricultural industry investment funds, reclamation industry development equity investment funds, etc.
Solidly promote the registration and issuance of certificates for rural collective construction land and homestead land use rights, promote the pilot reform of rural land acquisition, collective construction land entering the market, and homestead system in an orderly manner throughout Hainan Province, establish a reasonable price adjustment mechanism and value-added income distribution mechanism for construction land of different ownership and uses, and coordinate the interests of farmers in different regions with different types of land.
Support the establishment of international energy, shipping, bulk commodity, property rights, equity, carbon emission trading places, etc., in Hainan in accordance with the law. Innovate investment and financing methods, standardize the use of government and social capital cooperation (PPP) model, guide social capital to participate in infrastructure and people’s livelihood projects.
Support Hainan in carrying out comprehensive energy reform with a focus on power and natural gas system reform. Streamline the management system of civil airports and pilot reform the classification management of general aviation.
(8) Enhancing the Level of Infrastructure Network and Intelligence
In accordance with the principles of moderate advancement, interconnection, safety, efficiency, intelligence, and greenness, vigorously implement a number of major infrastructure projects, and accelerate the construction of a modern infrastructure system.
Build “Digital Hainan,” promote the full coverage of fibre-optic networks and high-speed mobile communication networks in urban and rural areas, accelerate the implementation of information access projects in villages and households, and focus on enhancing communication support capabilities in the South China Sea area. Implement the national network security level protection system to enhance network security assurance. Promote the expansion and renovation project of Haikou Airport, carry out preliminary work for the new airports in Sanya, Danzhou, and Dongfang/Wuzhishan, and increase the frequency of international flights connecting Hainan directly to major global tourist source markets.
Optimize and integrate port resources, focusing on supporting the optimization and strengthening of Haikou and Yangpu ports. Promote the construction of the main grid structure of the power grid and the intelligent upgrading and transformation of urban and rural power grids, and carry out demonstration projects such as smart grids and micro-grids.
Build a gas pipeline network covering urban and rural areas. Strengthen the utilization of urban underground space and the construction of comprehensive pipe corridors. Improve the network of island-based water conservancy facilities.
4. Promoting the Formation of a New Pattern of Comprehensive Opening-up
Adhere to the principle of all-round opening-up, and follow the principles of leading by example, controllable risks, phased advancement, and highlighting characteristics. In the first step, establish a free trade pilot zone across Hainan Province, granting it the current policies of free trade pilot zones. In the second step, explore the implementation of free trade port policies that align with Hainan’s development positioning.
(9) Constructing the Free Trade Pilot Zone with High Standards and High Quality
Building upon the existing pilot zone initiatives, tailored to the characteristics of Hainan, establish the China (Hainan) Free Trade Pilot Zone, covering the entire island of Hainan. With institutional innovation at its core, grant greater autonomy in reforms, supporting bold trials and initiatives in Hainan to accelerate the establishment of a legal, international, and facilitative business environment, as well as a fair, unified, and efficient market environment.
Vigorously transform government functions, deepen reforms of streamlining administration, delegating powers, and improving services, comprehensively enhancing governance capacity. Implement high-level trade and investment liberalization and facilitation policies, adopt a pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list management system for foreign investment, deepen the opening-up in key sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, sports, telecommunications, internet, culture, maintenance, finance, and shipping, promote the accelerated development of service trade, and protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors.
Promote gradual opening-up in shipping. Leverage the overall advantages of the island-wide pilot in Hainan, strengthen integrated reform, strive to achieve more institutional innovation, and demonstrate the role of the comprehensive deepening of reforms and expanding opening-up experiments.
(10) Exploring the Construction of China’s Characteristic Free Trade Port
In accordance with the national development needs, gradually explore and steadily advance the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, and establish a policy system for the free trade port in stages and steps. The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port should embody Chinese characteristics, align with Hainan’s development positioning, learn from the experiences of international free trade port construction, and focus not only on transit trade and manufacturing but also on developing tourism, modern service industries, and high-tech industries.
Emphasis should be placed on promoting comprehensive human development to fully stimulate development vitality and creativity, thus creating a more advanced and higher-level open economy. Timely summarize the effects of the implementation of the visa-free policy for tourists from 59 countries, enhance border security measures, and create conditions for further visa-free expansion.
Improve international trade “single window” and other information platforms. Actively attract foreign investment, advanced technology, and management expertise, and support the comprehensive participation of foreign investors in the construction of the free trade port.
Explore more flexible policy systems, regulatory models, and management systems in domestic and foreign trade, investment and financing, fiscal and taxation, financial innovation, and entry and exit, creating a new open highland with higher levels of openness, better business environment, and stronger radiation effects.
(11) Strengthening the Risk Prevention and Control System
Introduce relevant policies after thorough deliberation and strict scrutiny, ensuring that each policy is mature before implementation. Wage a vigorous battle to prevent and defuse major risks, effectively fulfil local financial regulatory responsibilities, establish a macro-prudential management system for finance, establish financial regulatory coordination mechanisms, strengthen the identification of major risks and prevention of systemic financial risks, crack down severely on financial crimes such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and tax evasion, and effectively prevent and control financial risks.
Optimize customs supervision methods, strengthen security access management for entry and exit, improve the supervision of goods and items prohibited or restricted from entering the country, and efficiently and precisely combat smuggling activities. Establish a comprehensive assessment mechanism for risk-based supervision of inspection and quarantine. Strengthen the mid- and post-event supervision of enterprise investment and operation, implement a “double random, one open” supervision system covering all aspects.
5. Innovating to Promote the Establishment of an International Tourism Consumption Centre
Advance the construction of international tourism hubs, continuously optimize the development environment, further open up the tourism consumption sector, actively cultivate new formats and hotspots in tourism consumption, enhance the level of high-end tourism consumption, promote the improvement of tourism consumption quality, further unleash the potential of tourism consumption, and actively explore new paths for the development of a consumption-driven economy.
(12) Expanding the Development Space for Tourism Consumption
Implement more open and convenient duty-free shopping policies for outlying islands, achieve full coverage for outbound tourists, and increase the duty-free shopping quota. Support Hainan in opening up international cruise tourism routes, and support pilot projects for public sea route cruises at ports such as Sanya, accelerating Sanya’s development towards a cruise homeport.
Relax regulations on yacht tourism. Promote the orderly development of tourism resources in the Xisha Islands and steadily open up island tourism. Fully implement and improve the policies of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, encourage the research and application of new medical technologies, equipment, and drugs, and formulate convenient policies to support overseas patients seeking medical treatment in the pilot zone.
Promote the integrated development of culture and tourism, vigorously develop emerging cultural consumption such as animation, gaming, internet culture, and digital content, and promote the upgrading of traditional cultural consumption.
Allow foreign investment to establish talent agencies operating in the province on a trial basis in Hainan, and allow foreign investment to establish performance venue operating units in cultural tourism industry agglomeration areas approved by the province. The performance programs must comply with national laws and policies. Permit tourist hotels, with permission, to receive overseas television channels approved by the state. Support the construction of the National Southern Base for Sports Training and the provincial sports centre in Hainan, encourage the development of beach sports, water sports, horse racing, and other projects, and support the creation of national sports tourism demonstration zones.
Explore the development of sports lottery and large-scale international event instant lottery. Explore support for tourism project construction from spatial planning, land supply, and resource utilization perspectives.
(13) Enhancing the Quality of Tourism Consumption Services
Encourage restructuring and optimization of tourism enterprises in Hainan, support eligible companies in obtaining financing through listing, promote the scale, branding, and networked operation of the tourism industry, and cultivate internationally competitive tourism groups.
Promote the operation of economic hotel chains, encourage the development of various types of eco-friendly and culturally themed hotels, as well as distinctive, small to medium-sized family inns, actively introduce domestic and foreign high-end hotel groups, and renowned hotel management brands. Implement high-standard layout and construction of large-scale consumer districts with international influence, improve the “Internet +” consumer ecosystem, encourage the establishment of “smart shops” and “smart commercial districts”, and support the improvement of cross-border consumer service functions.
Strengthen the coordinated planning and construction of tourism public service facilities. Improve the standard system, regulatory system, integrity system, and complaint system for tourism services, establish systems for evaluating corporate credibility, major information disclosure, consumer complaint information, and violation records.
Crack down severely on illegal activities that disrupt the order of the tourism market, improve the tourism dispute mediation mechanism, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of tourists. Support Hainan in integrating tourism marketing resources, strengthen overall publicity and marketing, and promote the enhancement of Hainan’s tourism image.
(14) Vigorously Promoting the Internationalization of Tourism Consumption
Support Hainan in actively attracting international high-quality capital and intellectual resources, and adopt international advanced concepts for the protection and development of tourism resources.
Allow Sino-foreign joint venture travel agencies registered in Hainan and meeting the criteria to engage in outbound tourism businesses except in the Taiwan region. Support Hainan’s active participation in international tourism cooperation and division of labour, and conduct practical cooperation with international organizations and enterprises in attracting investment and intelligence, market development, education and training, sports events, and other areas.
Accelerate the establishment of a tourism management system that aligns with international practices, promote more enterprises to obtain International Organization for Standardization (ISO) quality and environmental management system certifications, and enhance enterprise management capabilities.
Systematically enhance the internationalization, standardization, and informatization levels of tourism facilities and elements. Provide guidance for Hainan to further host international sports events and support the reintroduction of a batch of international first-class events. Support Hainan in hosting international commodity fairs and international film festivals.
6. Serving and integrating into national major strategies
Supporting Hainan in fulfilling the important mission entrusted by the Party Central Committee, continuously strengthening support and guarantee capabilities, and better serving the implementation of national major strategies such as building a maritime power, the Belt and Road Initiative, and military-civilian integration.
(15) Strengthening the construction of service guarantee capabilities for safeguarding rights and developing the South China Sea.
Accelerating the improvement of key infrastructure such as rights protection, shipping, and fisheries in Hainan, significantly enhancing China’s comprehensive control and development capabilities in its jurisdictional waters.
Implementing South China Sea security projects and establishing a comprehensive rescue support system. Ensuring the courts exercise judicial jurisdiction over China’s jurisdictional waters.
Supporting the construction of bases for cooperation and development in marine tourism in Sanya and production service bases for oil and gas exploration and production in Chengmai. Strengthening the construction of key fishing ports and harbours.
(16) Deepening foreign exchanges and cooperation.
Fully utilizing international platforms such as the Boao Forum for Asia, promote more pragmatic and efficient cooperation between Hainan and countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative, and construct an important strategic fulcrum of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Encouraging foreign institutions to settle in Hainan.
Supporting Hainan in advancing the construction of headquarters bases, encouraging multinational corporations and domestic large enterprise groups to establish international and regional headquarters in Hainan.
Supporting the establishment of platforms for cultural, educational, agricultural, and tourism exchanges along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in Hainan, and promoting the construction of Qionghai Agricultural Cooperation Pilot Zone for opening-up and cooperation.
Strengthening communication and exchanges between Hainan and Southeast Asian countries, with a focus on cooperation in tourism, environmental protection, marine fisheries, cultural exchanges, innovation and entrepreneurship, disaster prevention, and mitigation.
(17) Promoting the deep integration of military and civilian development.
Implementing relevant deployments to ensure that economic construction projects meet defence requirements, strengthening the coordinated development of the military and local areas in infrastructure, technology, education, and medical services, establishing a mechanism for military-civilian consultation, joint technology development, shared facilities construction, and logistical support, and making Hainan a demonstration base for military-civilian integration development.
Leveraging the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in Hainan to promote the construction of the Wenchang International Aerospace City. Improving civil service facilities and functions on islands and reefs in the South China Sea, constructing ecological islands and reefs, and creating high-quality military-civilian integration projects in the South China Sea. Deepening reforms for refined airspace management to enhance the efficiency of military-civilian airspace utilization.
Enhancing policies for military-civilian land exchanges to meet military land needs and promote the utilization of existing land resources. Constructing a national strategic energy reserve base.
(18) Strengthening regional cooperation and exchanges.
Leveraging the mechanisms of the Pan-Pearl River Delta regional cooperation, encouraging Hainan to collaborate with relevant provinces and regions in the protection and development of the South China Sea, and jointly constructing marine economic demonstration zones and marine technology cooperation zones.
Enhancing cooperation with Hong Kong and Macao in maritime affairs, maritime law enforcement, fisheries, maritime search and rescue, and actively engaging in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Strengthening cooperation with Taiwan in education, healthcare, modern agriculture, and marine resource protection and development.
Deepening cooperation in the Qiongzhou Strait and promoting coordinated development in port and shipping industries and tourism.
7. Strengthening and innovating social governance
Adhering to the development ideology centered on the people, improving the public service system, strengthening the construction of social governance systems, continuously meeting the increasingly growing needs of the people for a better life, forming effective social governance, fostering a sound social order, and ensuring that the people feel more fulfilled, secure, and sustainable in their sense of gain, happiness, and security.
(19) Improving the long-term mechanism for enhancing people’s well-being.
Resolutely winning the battle against poverty with precision, establishing a stable and long-term mechanism for poverty alleviation, and promoting the quality and efficiency improvement of poverty alleviation.
Deepening the reform of the household registration system, orderly advancing the urbanization of agricultural transfer population, and promoting the coverage of basic public services to all permanent residents.
Vigorously implementing the project to improve the quality of basic education, comprehensively enhancing the quality of preschool education and primary and secondary education.
Improving the employment system, refining the mechanism for adjusting the minimum wage standards and ensuring long-term mechanisms for wage payment. Launching pilot reforms to stimulate the income growth of key groups, advancing reforms in public institutions and talent evaluation mechanisms, and accelerating the improvement of wage distribution policies for government institutions and public institutions that are in line with the construction of free trade pilot zones and free trade ports, reflecting work performance and graded management within the national policy framework.
Innovating social assistance models, improving special assistance systems, and extending special assistance to low-income families based on key protection for urban and rural subsistence allowance recipients and the extremely poor.
Fully implementing a universal insurance plan. Establishing and improving long-term mechanisms for real estate to prevent large fluctuations in housing prices. Continuing to deepen the reform of the medical and health care system.
(20) Establishing a pattern of social governance based on joint construction, joint governance, and shared benefits.
Strengthening the construction of mechanisms for preventing and resolving social conflicts, and correctly handling internal contradictions among the people.
Enhancing the collection and analysis of dynamic population data and establishing a system for monitoring and early warning reports on population trends. Promoting the establishment of a “one-card” service management model based on the social security card.
Exploring the direct registration system for industry associations, chambers of commerce, technology, public welfare charities, urban and rural community service-oriented social organizations in accordance with the law, supporting social organizations in regulating market order, conducting industry supervision, strengthening industry self-discipline, and mediating trade disputes, to play a greater role, and promoting the decoupling reform of industry associations and chambers of commerce. Strengthening grassroots governance comprehensively, coordinating the construction of grassroots political power and grassroots mass autonomy, promoting effective connection between township (street) governance and urban and rural community governance, and building a simplified and efficient grassroots management system.
Promoting the comprehensive construction of the social credit system, accelerating the establishment of mechanisms for rewarding trustworthiness and punishing dishonesty.
Promoting the application of artificial intelligence technology to address hot and difficult issues in social governance such as administrative management, judicial management, urban management, and environmental protection, and improving the intelligence level of social governance.
(21) Deepening administrative system reform.
Fully implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, conscientiously implementing the decisions of the CPC Central Committee on deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, and the plan for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, resolutely upholding the authority of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and its centralized and unified leadership, and taking the lead in completing the reform of local party and government institutions.
Deepening the reform of “streamlining administration, delegating power, and improving regulation and services,” taking the lead in the country in further streamlining administration, delegating power, combining regulation with service optimization, and promoting the construction of free trade pilot zones and free trade ports.
According to the principle of delegating power where appropriate and not delegating power where inappropriate, granting more autonomy to the provincial government of Hainan, and entrusting management and service affairs closer to the grassroots and the masses to lower-level governments.
Promoting innovation in Hainan’s administrative division reform, optimizing the setup and structure of administrative divisions. Supporting Hainan in coordinating the use of various types of establishment resources according to actual needs.
Deepening the reform of “integrating multiple plans into one,” and promoting the formation of a unified spatial planning system throughout the province. Actively exploring judicial system reforms that are in line with administrative system reforms.
8. Accelerating the reform of the ecological civilization system.
Firmly establishing a socialist ecological civilization view, treating the ecological environment as one would treat life itself, implementing the strictest system of ecological environment protection, and restoring nature to tranquillity, harmony, and beauty, providing more high-quality ecological products to meet the increasingly growing demand of the people for a beautiful ecological environment, and composing the chapter of a beautiful Hainan in building a beautiful China.
(22) Improve the system of ecological civilization.
Accelerate the establishment of a sound and lasting mechanism for ecological civilization construction, and tighten the responsibilities for ecological environment protection.
Pioneer the establishment of a modern supervision system for ecological environment and resource protection, setting up state-owned natural resource asset management and natural ecology supervision institutions.
Implement the principle of “party and government shared responsibility, dual responsibilities for one position” in environmental protection, and construct an evaluation and assessment system guided by green development, strictly enforcing the audit of natural resource assets and the accountability system for ecological environment damage for departing party and government leading cadres.
Prepare a balance sheet of natural resource assets and implement a vertical management system for monitoring, supervision, and law enforcement by environmental protection agencies at the provincial level and below.
Support Hainan in taking the lead in exploring the establishment and improvement of the system of property rights and paid use of natural resource assets.
Accelerate the improvement of the ecological protection compensation mechanism linked to the effectiveness of ecological protection and the allocation of fiscal transfer payments.
Fully implement the river chief system, lake chief system, bay chief system, and forest chief system. Explore the establishment of a water rights system. Encourage national and provincial nature reserves in Hainan to explore forest management as a trial.
Strengthen the judicial protection of marine ecological environments. Carry out pilot projects for marine ecosystem carbon sinks. Research and establish a green standard system, establish a government procurement system for green products, and create green development demonstration zones. Implement controls on total carbon emissions and incremental energy consumption.
Establish a “blacklist” system for environmental pollution, improve environmental credit evaluation, mandatory disclosure of information, and strict punishment systems. Establish an environmental pollution compulsory liability insurance system in high-risk environmental areas.
(23) Construct a land and space development protection system.
Deepen the implementation of the main function zone strategy, improve the land and space use control system, refine the supporting policies for main function zones, and formulate and implement the plan for the main function zones of Hainan Province’s marine area.
Complete the delineation of ecological protection redlines, permanent basic farmland, urban development boundaries, marine biological resource protection lines, and control lines for sea reclamation, strictly controlling the use of natural ecological spaces.
Implement the strictest land saving system, carry out dual actions on the total amount and intensity of construction land, promote urban renewal and transformation, coordinate and integrate inefficient and scattered land for unified development, ensure that the total construction land in Hainan does not increase on the existing basis, and steadily reduce the per capita urban industrial land and the area of construction land used per unit of GDP. Strengthen supervision and management of natural reserves.
Study the establishment of national parks such as tropical rainforests, construct a natural reserve system with national parks as the main body, and implement overall protection, systematic restoration, and comprehensive management based on the integrity, systematic nature, and intrinsic laws of natural ecosystems.
Implement major projects for the protection and restoration of important ecosystems, build ecological corridors and biodiversity conservation networks, and enhance the quality and stability of ecosystems.
Encourage the implementation of a timber purchasing system in key ecological areas, explore ways to regulate the transfer of collective land and economic forests through leasing, substitution, land use rights contracts, etc., and gradually restore and expand natural ecological spaces such as tropical rainforests.
Implement precision upgrading projects for national reserve forests and build bases for rare and precious tree species. Gradually implement ecological migration and relocation for residents in ecologically fragile and sensitive areas.
Strictly protect the marine ecological environment, give more importance to the sea to determine the land, accelerate the establishment of a total pollutant control system for key sea areas, and formulate and implement comprehensive plans for the protection and utilization of coastal zones.
(24) Promote the formation of a green production and lifestyle.
Adhere to the “green, circular, low-carbon” concept, establish a negative list system for industrial access, comprehensively prohibit the development of high-energy consumption, high-pollution, high-emission industries, and low-end manufacturing, promote the transformation of existing manufacturing industries towards intelligence, greenization, and service-oriented development, and accelerate the construction of a green industrial system.
Implement dual actions on the total amount and intensity of energy consumption. Support Hainan in building a demonstration province for ecological and circular agriculture, and accelerate the creation of a leading area for green agricultural development.
Implement the extended producer responsibility system to promote the practical implementation of waste product recycling responsibilities by production enterprises.
Reduce the consumption of fossil energy such as coal and accelerate the construction of a safe, green, intensive, and efficient clean energy supply system. Establish a mechanism for the activation and utilization of idle houses, and encourage the development of new leasing formats such as vacation rentals.
Explore new models of shared economy development and conduct pilot demonstrations in fields such as transportation, education, and vocational training.
Scientifically and reasonably control the number of motor vehicles, accelerate the promotion of new energy vehicles and energy-saving and environmentally friendly vehicles, and gradually ban the sale of fuel vehicles on Hainan Island.
Completely prohibit the production, sale, and use of disposable non-degradable plastic bags and plastic tableware in Hainan, and accelerate the application of green packaging in the express delivery industry.
9. Improve the Talent Development System
Implement the strategy of strengthening the country with talent, deepen the reform of the talent development system and mechanisms, implement more proactive, open, and effective talent policies, and accelerate the formation of a favourable environment where everyone desires to develop their talents, everyone strives to develop their talents, everyone can develop their talents, and everyone can fully display their talents.
(25) Innovate Talent Development Support Mechanisms
Encourage Hainan to fully utilize high-quality educational and training resources both domestically and internationally, strengthen cooperation in education and training, and cultivate high-level international talents.
Support Hainan University in establishing world-class disciplines and assist related universities in nurturing and constructing key laboratories. Encourage renowned domestic universities and research institutions to establish branches in Hainan.
Improve the vocational education and training system, deepen the integration of industry and education, and promote cooperation between schools and enterprises.
Encourage social forces to establish vocational education through various forms such as sole proprietorship, joint venture, and cooperation. Encourage Hainan to introduce high-quality educational resources from overseas, establish high-level Sino-foreign cooperative education institutions and programs, and explore the establishment of a joint approval mechanism for Sino-foreign cooperative education programs above the undergraduate level among provinces.
Support Hainan in establishing special funds for professional talent training through market-oriented approaches. Improve the institutional mechanisms to promote lifelong education and training.
(26) Building a More Open Talent Recruitment Mechanism
Increase support from national talent programs for talent development in Hainan Province. Focus on strengthening the public welfare attributes and deepen the reform of public institutions.
Apart from those institutions that solely provide support and guarantee for government agencies, administrative levels should be generally abolished. After the reform, public institutions are allowed to improve internal distribution methods of performance-based salaries conducive to talent incentives.
Promote reasonable mobility among teachers, medical personnel, and researchers. Innovate the mechanism for attracting and utilizing “bird of passage” talents by establishing “bird of passage” talent workstations.
Allow professional and technical personnel and management talents from mainland state-owned enterprises and public institutions to work part-time and receive compensation based on their work in Hainan according to regulations.
Support Hainan in conducting pilot reforms in international talent management, allowing foreign nationals and individuals from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan with technical skills to work and permanently reside in Hainan as stipulated.
Excellent foreign students who have obtained master’s degrees or above from Chinese universities are allowed to work and start businesses in Hainan, expanding the scale of international students in Hainan’s universities. Support Hainan in exploring the establishment of a management system to attract foreign high-tech talents.
(27) Building a High-Quality Specialized Cadre Team
Adhere to the principle of the Party’s leadership over cadres, maintain the correct direction in selecting and appointing personnel, emphasize political standards, and focus on cultivating professional competence and spirit.
Enhance the ability of the cadre team to promote the comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up in Hainan.
Promote reforms in the appointment system and classified management of civil servants, broaden channels for outstanding talents from society to enter the cadre team of the Party and government, allow the establishment of high-end special positions in government agencies with strong professionalism, and implement term-based management and agreement-based salaries.
Strengthen the exchange and learning of civil servants between Hainan and developed regions in China, carry out international exchanges and cooperation of civil servants, and prudently and orderly conduct overseas training for civil servants.
Strengthen the reserve of outstanding young cadres, and improve the mechanism to encourage cadres to gain experience at the grassroots level and in difficult and remote areas.
(28) Comprehensive Enhancement of Talent Services
Enhance the level of talent services comprehensively by increasing the supply of high-quality public services to meet the demand of talents for high-quality public services.
Vigorously introduce high-quality medical resources, encourage social forces to develop high-level medical institutions, promote cooperation in medical resources domestically and internationally, and actively introduce outstanding healthcare professionals.
Deepen the direct settlement of medical expenses for hospitalization across provinces, encourage the development of commercial supplementary insurance, and promote the construction of social elderly care service facilities. Accelerate the construction of digital libraries, digital museums, online theatres, etc., and build a standardized and interconnected public digital cultural service network.
Introduce special policies to address issues such as employment, housing, medical care, social security, and children’s education for the introduction of talents.
10. Guarantee Measures
We will unwaveringly strengthen the Party’s leadership over reform and opening-up, further enhance policy support, establish and improve a working mechanism of “centralized coordination by the central government, support from various departments, and implementation by provinces,” and resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council conscientiously.
(29) Strengthening Party Leadership
We will uphold the Party’s leadership in all aspects of work, fully leverage the Party’s role in overall planning and coordination. The Hainan Provincial Party Committee will prioritize political development and arm party members and cadres in Hainan with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
With a focus on improving and strengthening the comprehensive leadership of the Party, we will optimize the Party’s organizational structure, establish and improve the leadership system and mechanism of the Provincial Party Committee over the comprehensive deepening of reform and opening-up work, better utilize the functions of Party departments, and enhance the Party’s ability and determination to provide direction, plan overall situations, formulate policies, and promote reform.
We will strengthen the construction of grassroots Party organizations, enhance organizational capabilities, strengthen political functions, guide Party members to play exemplary roles, and build grassroots Party organizations into strong bastions for promoting the comprehensive deepening of reform and opening-up in Hainan.
We will improve the evaluation system for cadres that reflects the requirements of the new development concept and correct political achievements, establish incentive mechanisms and error-correction mechanisms, and firmly support and encourage cadres who dare to take responsibility, work diligently, and do not seek personal gain.
We will firmly grasp the leadership of ideological work, integrate socialist core values into all aspects of social development, and strengthen cultural confidence.
We will persistently rectify the work style, strengthen disciplinary inspection and supervision, and create a clean and upright environment. We will deepen political inspections and fully implement the Supervision Law.
(30) Strengthening Policy Support
All reform measures proposed in this document that involve adjustments to existing laws or regulations shall be implemented after unified authorization by the National People’s Congress or the State Council.
Relevant central departments shall, in accordance with the needs of building the Hainan Free Trade Port and exploring policies for a free trade port consistent with Hainan’s development orientation, timely delegate relevant management authority to Hainan Province and grant it full autonomy in reform.
A Hainan Free Trade Port Construction Investment Fund shall be established in a market-oriented manner. We will deepen comprehensive reform of the judicial system, fully implement the system of judicial responsibility, pilot reforms of the internal institutions of courts and procuratorates, and establish mechanisms for the retirement of judges and procurators.
We will support the establishment of international economic and trade arbitration institutions and international dispute resolution mechanisms to provide diverse dispute resolution services.
(31) Improving Implementation Mechanisms
Hainan Province must take on its primary responsibility, be proactive, pragmatic, and pioneer bold explorations. With the spirit of “success without the need for credit” and the historical responsibility of ensuring success, successive administrations must continue and fulfil the blueprint.
Contingency plans should be developed to stabilize market expectations and decisively prevent speculation in real estate and land. A mechanism for coordinating major issues should be established to coordinate the comprehensive deepening of reform and opening up in Hainan.
Relevant central departments must genuinely delegate authority, implement real reforms, and provide genuine support, effectively implementing the tasks and policy measures proposed in this document and working closely with Hainan Province to formulate implementation plans.
The National Development and Reform Commission should strengthen comprehensive coordination, enhance supervision and inspection, timely evaluate the implementation of this document, promptly identify problems, propose rectification suggestions, and report major issues to the Party Central Committee and the State Council.
Related article: Compilation of important policies for Hainan Free Trade Port (February 2024)
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