China’s latest open-door policy: give us your sick, your Hong Kong lawyers, and your yachting holidaymakers
Beijing is launching service sector reforms in more than a dozen pilot cities as it comes under pressure from Washington
Foreigners seeking medical treatment, lawyers from Hong Kong and Macau and holidaymakers cruising on their own yachts will have easier entry to China under Beijing’s plan to open up its “service trade”, as the country comes under pressure to open up its economy.
As part of a two-year “pilot plan” from July 1, the central government is allowing 16 Chinese cities from Beijing to Shenzhen, and the tropical island province of Hainan to come up with their own ways to attract foreign business in fields from banking to tourism.
Beijing traditionally tests reforms in selected areas before rolling them out nationwide.
Beijing’s decision to allow the pilot programmes comes as the country’s international balance of payments worsens and is only likely to continue doing so as the US pressures China to narrow the bilateral trade gap.
In a statement on Friday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, said the aim of the changes – including 144-hour transit visas at all Guangdong ports and a new type of medical treatment visa – was to increase service exports.
The statement said the selected cities would lead “innovative development” of the service trade in China and to address “the issue of the large deficit in the service trade with a focus on boosting exports of services”.