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What new measures are introduced in the pilot areas on removing or easing restrictions on services trade? What will be done specifically regarding the stress test for emerging services trade, and easing or removing restrictive measures in an orderly fashion? (2020-8-20)

I’ve touched upon some restrictive measures to be eliminated or eased as well as new opening up measures in my introduction to the overall plan. Let me say more about opening up.
  
Opening up more services sectors is an important exploration in this round of innovation experiment. The Fourth Plenum of the 19th CPC Central Committee made clear that we should expand, enhance and upgrade opening up across the board, further open up manufacturing, services and agriculture, and promote institution-based opening up including rules, regulations, administration and standards. This year’s Report on the Work of the Government said that China will publish the negative list for cross-border services trade.
  
It is against this backdrop that we give priority to opening up in this round of pilot program. We should open up more sectors in an orderly manner and eliminate or ease restrictive measures in services trade in the principle of pursuing opening up in both factors of production and institutions, coordinating opening up and regulation and combining pre-establishment services and compliance oversight. We will explore new ways of institutional opening up through stress test of emerging services sector opening up in pilot regions.

Focusing on these areas for exploration, we have proposed 26 opening up measures with relevant departments, which could be divided into three categories: First, open stress tests for cross-border supply (model 1) and consumption abroad (model 2), such as working to allow foreign institutions to independently hold foreign-related economic and technological exhibitions, act as operating non-vessel carriers in China without being a Chinese enterprise legal person, and support cooperation with overseas institutions to develop cross-border commercial medical insurance products. Second, explore the relaxation of restrictive measures in specific service sectors for the movement of natural persons (mode 3), promote mutual recognition of professional qualifications, and help overseas professionals come to China for innovation and entrepreneurship. For example, launch pilot programs that allow qualified Hong Kong and Macao professionals to provide engineering consulting services in pilot areas such as Hainan, Shenzhen and Guangzhou; carry out pilot programs for mutual recognition of professional service qualifications with Hong Kong and Macao; explore the integration of foreigners' work permits and residence permits for workers; and help foreigners come to China for work. Third, after opening up of the three modes above, we will further enhance the effectiveness of opening up and encourage the pilot areas to strengthen international cooperation in service trade, such as actively promoting international cooperation in education, law and finance, and building international parks on service trade cooperation.
  
Some of these measures have been promoted in all pilot areas, and some have been launched first in some qualified pilot areas, reflecting the content of stress testing. After evaluation, the qualified measures can be extended to all pilot areas and even the whole country. Thank you!