Facilitating Business In China: Shunyi District Relishes Opening up Dividends

This section of Beijing has been transformed from farming to a service-based economy.

China’s local governments have continued to pursue reforms and opening up to foreign capital after the 1978 experiment by Chairman Deng Xiaoping resulted in today’s hi-tech cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Taking a cue from this, the Chinese Capital Municipal Government in Beijing, on May 5, 2016, approved a new development plan for Shunyi District. It is dubbed the Comprehensive Pilot and Demonstration Zone on Further Opening up of Service Industries.

Located 30 km northeast of Beijing centre with a population of over 1 million, Shunyi comprises 19 towns, 426 villages and six streets; and covers 1,021 square km. About 8,000 foreigners now live in the area where many embassies, international agencies and chambers of commerce are located. Yang Pengbo, Deputy Director in the Office of the Demonstration District of Pilot Programme for Opening up Service Sector in Beijing, on May 17, 2017, led a group of African and South American journalists round the district to showcase achievements since 2016.

He said Shunyi’s Gross Domestic Product, GDP, last year reached 156.56 Billion Yuan Renminbi (about 13,376 Billion FCFA), an increase of 7.9 per cent year-on-year. The general public budget was 13.786 Billion Yuan Renminbi, (about 1,178 Billion FCFA), a rise of 10.5 per cent year-on-year. Also in 2016, the industrial output of 395 enterprises was worth 311.2 Billion Yuan Renminbi (about 26,595 Billion FCFA); while overall employment in the district was 95 per cent. On May 2, 2017, a special immigration centre opened in the area to fast track the processing of ap...