All issues handled at government service halls can be dealt with online in 2020. [Photo/southcn.com]

Right at the beginning of 2020 Guangzhou has released a series of measures to upgrade its local business environment to leading international levels.

A total of 82 specific measures and 26 reform tasks in five areas have been put forward. They are oriented to setting market entities' sense of acquisition and satisfaction and to dealing with current production and management problems faced by market entities.

An integrated online government service platform will be built and continuously improved. It is expected that in 2020 all applications and all issues handled at government service halls will be processed online. Electronic certificates as well as seals and signatures will be shared and recognized between different departments and regions.

Preferential policies in areas such as individual income tax, financial subsidies and subsidies for excellent entrepreneurship projects will be released.

The document points out that those who want to start a business can finish registration, seal carving and invoice applications in half a day and processes will also be simplified for those applying for cancelation. 

Themed around the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the document suggests construction of three highlands, one each for innovation, entrepreneurship and creation, as well as cohesive international business regulations in a law-based business environment.

No fewer than 60 leading application scenarios integrating artificial intelligence and other technologies such as 5G, block chains and big data will be formed in the area as demonstrations.

In the first three quarters of 2019, Guangzhou reached a gross regional domestic product of 1.79 trillion yuan ($256.99 billion), up 6.9 percent year-on-year. In the first nine months of 2019, the number of new market entities amounted to 2.26 million with a year-on-year increase of 12.9 percent, an average of 909 companies opening up each day.