Districts introduce measures to support city's latest ambition

The weekly sales of dairy products at Theland, a New Zealand milk importer in Shanghai, has grown tenfold in the past six months, thanks to the city's move to simplify administrative procedures that has created a more convenient business environment.

About 30,000 bottles of milk produced by the company were sold in July, compared with 3,000 bottles in January, according to Sheng Wenhao, CEO of the company.

The surge in sales has been attributed to the new policy implemented in Changning district, where the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, together with the district government, launched a trial program in December to speed up import inspections and shorten the time between the arrival of products at the port and being stocked on the shelves.

The accelerated process is part of efforts undertaken by the district authorities to implement the 100 policies regarding further opening-up that Shanghai unveiled last month.

Theland and another four brands that were identified by municipal authorities as reputable companies that produce quality products are part of the trial for the accelerated process.

"The new policy allows dairy products to be put up for sale just three days after production. It previously took more than eight days," said Sheng.

Yang Dongsheng, director at the commerce commission of Changning district, said only sample batches of goods by the five approved trial companies that import dairy or textile products are screened at custom clearance.

"Speedier customs clearance is particularly important for farm produce, meat and fishery products as they have a shorter shelf life and require specific storage conditions to stay fresh," said Yang.

Earlier in January, Changning had also boosted efficiency in the law sector by setting up the city's first online court that is responsible for civil and commercial cases involving the internet, including network service contracts and network infringement disputes.

"We are now developing an online litigation platform for internet-related cases, which will effectively reduce the required time and cost for the parties involved," said Jin Lianhong, vice president of the district court.

According to official data, 775 cases have been accepted and heard through the online court as of last month.

Pudong New Area in Shanghai has also been working to realize the government's vision of opening-up as outlined in the 100 policies. One of the initiatives is the streamlined administration system that allows export and import procedures to be performed on one platform.

"The platform was set up to facilitate smooth foreign trade and improve the business environment in terms of cargo clearance procedures," said Liu Hong, assistant president of E&P International, the developer of the platform. "It reduces documents needed from traders by using paperless customs declarations, examinations and tax payments."

At present, 22 national or regional departments in China and 270,000 enterprises use the platform for cargo declaration.

A monitoring platform for the upcoming China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November has also been added in the system, providing users access to real time data such as exhibit information and transaction data, as well as information regarding custom clearance processes.

Contact the writer at caochen@chinadaily.com.cn