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More relaxed rules for mainland enterprises to invest
in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions (SARs) will be implemented soon.
The new policy sets out a clear service pledge on handling applications
from mainland investors, in order to facilitate approval procedures, said
an official from the Ministry of Commerce.
The new arrangement will make the application procedure more
transparent and hand over most approval duties to provincial authorities,
he said.
Except for enterprises planning to be listed overseas indirectly or
investment holding companies, which will still require approval from the
Ministry of Commerce, firms going to Hong Kong and Macao can choose to
invest through setting up wholly owned or jointly owned businesses,
mergers, acquisitions or capital injection under the relaxed rules, the
official said.
The provincial approving authorities would seek opinions from the Hong
Kong and Macao Affairs Office and the Central Government Liaison Office in
the Hong Kong and Macao SARs when needed, he said.
In the past, all applications for investing in
Hong Kong and Macao needed to be scrutinized
by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the
State Council.
As for required documents, the applicant no longer needs to submit, as
in the past, project proposal and feasibility study documents, he said.
The relaxation is part of the Mainland and Hong
Kong/Macao Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) launched last
year to boost the SARs' economies by giving them a head start
before many of China's
promises for accession to the World Trade Organization come into full
effect in 2005.
Under the CEPA pacts, zero import tariffs have been given to 374
products deemed of Hong Kong and Macao origin since January 1, 2004.
The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong also broadened their free trade pact
by adding 713 types of goods to the zero-tariff list last month.
The official said more facilitation policies on finance would be issued
soon.
Analysts say the new policies will allow Chinese mainland enterprises
more freedom in making decisions to invest in Hong Kong and Macao based on
commercial considerations.
Liu Xueqin, an expert from the Chinese Academy of International Trade
and Economic Co-operation, said the new facilitation policy will encourage
more mainland enterprises to invest in Hong Kong and Macao, and speed up
their decision-making.
She said the policies would shorten approval time to about a month
rather than the six months previously needed.
"Many private firms are expected to make use of
Hong Kong as a springboard
to expand their businesses overseas," she said.
Of the 2.4 million enterprises engaged in
manufacturing in the mainland, only about 2,000 have a presence in Hong Kong and most of
them are State-owned.
By the end of June this year, 1.6 million people from the mainland went
to Hong Kong under the scheme, which means an influx of billions of US
dollars there.
"If
each mainland private enterprise sets up one local office hiring two to three
staff each, this will help boost the local economy," he
said.
(China Daily) | 
Updated: 2004-09-20 11:13
