On October 23rd, during a press conference in Harbin focused on promoting high-quality development, officials announced a series of new initiatives aimed at improving the local business environment. Among these, the city has adopted a new approach to streamline the process of opening a bed-and-breakfast. This initiative will consolidate the application into a single process, reducing the time from five days to just one.
Yue Lijuan, the Director of Harbin’s Business Environment Bureau, highlighted that the city is actively implementing a total of 87 innovative reforms across three key categories to invigorate market entities. The goal is to encourage businesses to take risks, innovate, and venture into new areas.
“An effective business environment is crucial. It serves as the best foundation for economic growth,” Yue stated. The new measures aim to enhance efficiency by focusing on critical business operations throughout their lifecycle. To achieve this, Harbin has established a management mechanism for a list of key actions that ensure seamless execution. This includes the national level reforms related to enterprise relocation, transportation of large items, medical expense reimbursements, and public housing applications.
The city has also developed four initiatives independently, including those for establishing private kindergartens, attracting talent, opening elder care facilities, and starting bed-and-breakfasts. Significantly, the bed-and-breakfast initiative integrates five steps across four different departments into a single application, significantly speeding up the process.
In addition, Harbin is utilizing a “copy and innovate” strategy to implement 18 new initiatives inspired by the experiences of other innovative pilot cities. This includes the rollout of a “no-application renewal” service, which streamlines approval processes across seven sectors, aiming for a hassle-free experience that requires no application, submission, or waiting time.
Furthermore, Harbin has launched 40 new initiatives tackling specific bottlenecks in the business operation process, based on feedback from local enterprises and stakeholders. For instance, the real estate department has introduced a dual-notice mechanism for new housing loans, allowing buyers to complete all necessary paperwork in one go, thus transforming a formerly lengthy process into a single, efficient step while preventing fraudulent sales.
As Harbin continues to innovate and adapt, the city is demonstrating a commitment to creating a more business-friendly environment, opening doors for growth and development in various sectors.
