Promoting Quality and Efficiency in Chengmai's Economic Development to Accelerate Sector Growth

Boosting High-Quality Development and Outlining the Hainan Free Trade Port Vision

At the Hainan Heng Xiangjia Energy-saving Technology Co., Ltd. plant, mechanical arms rotate while products flow continuously from the production line.  (Photo by Wu Hao)

At Hainan Xiangtai Fisheries Co., workers process and package Hainan seabream.  (Photo by Ruan Chen)

In Hainan Ecological Software Park, located in Lao Cheng Town, staff assist customers with their taxes.    (Photo by Yuan Cai)

At the wharf of Hainan China Shipping Oil Terminal Co., Ltd., cargo ships are operated for supply purposes.  (Photo by Wu Hao)

In the expansive Laocheng Science and Technology New City located in Hainan, machines roar across numerous sites, projects accelerate, and production lines are constructed and put into use.

Towering cranes symbolize the confidence in development, and the successive implementation of projects stimulates economic vitality. In recent years, Chengmai has capitalized on this momentum, striving to lead and continuously implementing a suite of policies and measures to stabilize the economy. On the path to high-quality development, it progresses, working tirelessly to transform the construction blueprint into the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. This ensures that the seeds sown in the spring blossom into the fruits of high-quality development.

Attracting investment with full efforts

Seizing the moment, comparing progress, and prioritizing investments, Chengmai is a step ahead in attracting investments.

This year, Chengmai County kicked off the year in full-speed investment mode. The county party committee and key county government officials prioritize attracting investments, taking on roles as both "commander-in-chief" and active participants. Party and government departments at all levels, along with various organizations, businesses, and individuals, have formed an investment team. This team is actively engaging in outbound investment efforts while welcoming and facilitating inbound investments.

Increase investment, the government has launched a combination of measures.

In mid-March, government representatives visited Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wuhu, and other cities for investment research and to learn from the development experiences of advanced regions. They engaged in negotiations regarding business partnerships and land acquisitions.

At the end of March, several enterprise groups from Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, visited Chengmai to investigate the digital economy, oil and gas exploration and production services, modern logistics, low-carbon manufacturing, high-efficiency agriculture, and other leading industries. They also studied the local economic development situation.

At the beginning of April, the Government went to Shenzhen to participate in the 2024 Conference on High-Quality Development of Industrial Park and the 9th Pearl River Delta Industrial Investment Fair. This fair was an opportunity for Chengmai to showcase its favorable investment environment and to attract investment from both domestic and overseas enterprises.

In early April, the government delegation from Chengmai participated in the 2024 Conference on High-Quality Development of Industrial Parks and the 9th Pearl River Delta Industrial Investment Fair in Shenzhen. This event provided Chengmai with a platform to showcase its favorable investment environment and attract investments from domestic and overseas enterprises.

Continuously "going out," Chengmai has been fostering increasing exchanges with other provinces.

Chengmai is actively seeking targeted investments in promising industries to enhance its industrial chain competitiveness. The leader of the Chengmai County Bureau of Commerce emphasized the importance of specificity in attracting investments. He also highlighted Chengmai's efforts to develop strong industrial relationships and adaptability with cities outside Hainan.

Chengmai is forging ahead on its investment attraction path, tailored to its unique circumstances. It was the first in Hainan Province to establish the "chain leader system," emphasizing "5 industrial clusters and 10 industrial chains." This system sets up one chain leader, one task force, one department, and one set of policies. Chengmai relies on 14 key enterprises to implement the entire industry chain investment attraction plan and provide full-life-cycle services to the involved enterprises...

Currently, the county has attracted significant investment across the entire industry chain, with 18 projects set to land, 81 projects under negotiation, and 20 projects to be signed.

"These results fully reflect Chengmai's prioritization of investment attraction and project construction," said the director of the Chengmai County Development and Reform Commission. He emphasized that Chengmai would continue to focus on large-scale projects to expand investment and upgrade the industrial chain. Chengmai has exerted unprecedented efforts in project construction, allocating the majority of its resources to this endeavor. Several projects have been successful, and numerous large-scale projects are progressing rapidly.

Investment attraction is a key driver of economic development. Chengmai's strategies of "going out" and "bringing in" have proven highly successful. In 2023, Chengmai made significant strides in attracting investment, with 31 projects signed throughout the year totaling over 11 billion yuan. Leveraging the party building platform of the government and enterprises, Chengmai has bolstered its project planning capabilities. It has planned 32 new projects and a three-year rolling investment of over 70 billion yuan, significantly improving the quality of projects.

Creating a favorable business environment

In Chengmai, the process of introducing and landing projects involves a series of proactive measures, including initiatives, timely follow-ups, and accurate services. Chengmai provides operational services by promoting policies, clarifying requirements, and solving problems after the project is operational. This approach creates an investment environment characterized by kindness, safety, and richness, earning recognition from enterprises.

The business environment is crucial for the county's economic development and is considered an important core competency. To expedite the approval process, Chengmai Jiaxi Life and Health Industrial Park has implemented several measures, enabling enterprises to save up to 3 months directly: the planning permit is issued within 7 working days, the construction permit on the same day, the number of approval items has been reduced to 15, and the time limit has been reduced to 16 working days, among other improvements. Wen Wen, the investment manager of the industrial park, stated, "Chengmai's business environment is solid."

The solidity of Chengmai's business environment is demonstrated through its professional services and staff assignments. Using a three-level flat management structure consisting of the "County Business Environment Construction Bureau, industrial chain liaisons, and enterprise chief service commissioners," Chengmai offers full life-cycle services to enterprises, covering investment promotion, landing, construction, completion, production, and operation. Additionally, one-to-one liaisons specialize in connecting with enterprises, addressing their needs on the spot, and ensuring prompt implementation and response.

The solidity is evident in the cooperation between departments. Chengmai believes that there is no "best" business environment, only one that continuously improves. Services should not just be promised but must be implemented in actions and reflected in outcomes. Through the 2.0 water and electricity network joint installation reform, Chengmai has achieved "water and electricity network" linkage reporting and installation. Moreover, Chengmai has furthered the integration of its industrial system to enable data interconnection and instant sharing of examination and approval processes. This reform has simplified project planning permits and installation procedures related to the water and electricity network, streamlined the steps for matching supply and demand information, and reduced the amount of required documentation.

The solidity is demonstrated through effective solutions. Chengmai has proactively established a closed-loop linkage mechanism encompassing "approval-supervision-law enforcement-information." It has identified and summarized 32 pilot licensing matters, providing systematic training for relevant business departments. In 2023, 522 events were successfully handled. Leveraging digital platforms, Chengmai optimizes the connection between approval, supervision, and law enforcement, aiding enterprises in high-quality development through effective solutions.

After years of continuous reform and practical exploration, Chengmai has significantly enhanced its system and mechanisms for optimizing the business environment. The experience and achievements of "rapid approval" have been steadily expanding.

In September 2023, the first instance of this reform in Hainan Province was completed, with enterprises able to sign contracts, obtain land, and apply for construction permits in just 7.5 hours.

Before implementing this practice province-wide, Chengmai studied the experiences and practices of advanced areas, tailored them to local conditions, and created a "one-stop start-up" review process. This process involves accurately preselecting project sites, actively promoting the creation of an "industrial map," enhancing the functionality of the "land supermarket" platform, and providing rapid approval in four steps. These efforts are aimed at helping enterprises efficiently acquire land online.

Currently, Chengmai's "Industrial Map" has been launched and integrated with the "Land Supermarket". Through the "Industry Map", Chengmai provides 12 sets of construction prerequisite plans for 4 plots and has successfully sold 3 plots. This initiative has enabled three projects to achieve "taking land equals construction", saving enterprises at least half a million yuan in pre-research and R&D costs. The total investment for these projects amounts to 87.5 billion yuan.

"There is nothing more valuable than the trust of investors. Every time I visit an enterprise, the first thing I say is, 'Is there anything we can help with?'" stated the relevant person in charge of the Chengmai County Business Environment Construction Bureau. This approach reflects the bureau's commitment to continuously deepening the reform of addressing "one thing at a time."

Chengmai is guided by the reform goal of addressing "one thing at a time", leveraging the Hainan government service network. It focuses on the entire life cycle of individuals and enterprises, standardizing and streamlining the entire "one thing at a time" process. Chengmai organizes service recipients throughout this process. By integrating government resources and employing methods such as optimization and online-offline integration, Chengmai provides integrated services to applicants. This includes "the integration of multiple forms into one form application, a set of materials, one submission, and one completion." Chengmai has set up "special seats" in government halls and assigned dedicated personnel.

To date, Chengmai has optimized a total of 63 online theme guidance offices and 58 thematic items, with a total of 23,000 themed items accepted. These efforts signal Chengmai's commitment to effectively implementing policies and stimulating the vitality of business entities.

Stimulating consumption

On April 12, the Dongpo pedestrian street in the Old Town of Chengmai, Hainan province, was filled with excitement, bustling with people enjoying a variety of mouth-watering local snacks. Young singers performed along the street, and various immersive entertainments were offered as usual.

The Dongpo Pedestrian Street in Chengmai serves as a hub for the night-time economy, offering a vibrant mix of delicacies, entertainment, and attractions. It embodies both a lively atmosphere and a relaxed pace of life. The street is positioned as a prominent urban consumption landmark, aimed at enhancing its popularity, business, and overall consumption experience.

Furthermore, Chengmai has invested 112,800 yuan to support Yutang Village in developing its cultural fair and enhancing facilities for the night-time economy. This initiative has brought new life to the village, making it more vibrant and engaging.

In Chengmai, significant progress has been made, transitioning from small stalls to large shopping malls. Last year, there was an increase in the total retail sales of social consumer goods in Chengmai, indicating a revival in the consumer market.

Promoting the recovery of consumption is not only a necessary short-term measure to stabilize the current economy but also a long-term strategy to unlock consumption potential. So, how can we better ensure a sustained recovery in consumption?

Chengmai is charting a course by leveraging domestic demand and consumption potential through comprehensive policies, resulting in a steady increase in market consumption.

"Leading enterprises in the logistics industry are gathering and developing in Chengmai, which is a significant advantage. By leveraging leading e-commerce and payment platforms, we have invested 6.5 million yuan in promotions during traditional holidays and special days on e-commerce platforms." An official from the Chengmai Bureau of Commerce stated that Chengmai has contributed a total of 36.7263 million yuan to social consumption. This contribution was achieved through phased promotions such as "Chengmai’s welfare for all," "May Day shopping spree," "Chengmai's selected goods," and "Summer vacation shopping spree and trips."

Consumption bridges production and circulation with people's livelihoods. In addition to implementing various activities to stimulate domestic demand and consumption, Chengmai is committed to safeguarding the "vegetable basket" of local residents.

In 2023, Chengmai is continuing its efforts to ensure the supply of affordable vegetables and stabilize prices. The goal is to increase the number of affordable vegetable stores to 75, with 6 new direct-operated stores in the pipeline. Furthermore, Chengmai will encourage local alliance supermarkets to participate in this initiative, ensuring that residents have access to affordable and reliable vegetables.

In 2024, Chengmai will be proactive in grasping policies, exploring growth points, and seizing opportunities. The focus will be on strengthening leading industries, introducing more industrial chains, clustering resources, optimizing existing stocks and structures, and driving economic growth. Chengmai aims to translate policy dividends into tangible achievements, fostering genuine high-quality economic and social development. As a result, a number of innovative industrial projects will thrive, generating new momentum and laying a solid foundation for year-round economic prosperity.