North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is believed to be making major progress in its efforts to create a more robust business environment, in order to attract new investors and projects.

It is widely said that through its continued efforts over the five-year period from 2016-2020, significant results have already been delivered.

By the end of September this year, Inner Mongolia's total private business entities – commercial ventures ranging from small store holders and single proprietorships to manufacturers and major companies – numbered 2.29 million, an increase of 4.3 percent year-on-year and accounting for 97.54 percent of the market players in the region. 

The dynamic commercial conditions reportedly come in the wake of the intensive promulgation over the past five years of a number of business incentive policies.

In August 2018, the Inner Mongolia government issued the Implementation Plan for Optimizing the Business Environment, which put forward 30 specific measures in eight areas, including establishing businesses, processing construction permits and real estate registration.

In June 2020, the government issued its Action Plan for Optimizing the Business Environment,  proposing 140 measures in 20 areas – benchmarking the World Bank's business environment evaluation standards and China's business environment evaluation indicators.

On July 1, 2021, another policy – the Implementation Measures for Business Environment Assessment in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (Trial) – was released, to create a business environment assessment index system and assessment mechanism with Inner Mongolian characteristics.

At present, the region's development and reform commission is studying and drafting an upgraded business environment policy document.

All 12 leagues and cities in the region have also issued various implementation and action measures to optimize their business environments.

The new preferential policies and measures are said to be playing an important role in the following fields:

More efficient administrative services

Inner Mongolia has promoted an "internet + government service" platform and organized the business systems of various departments to achieve mutual user recognition, data exchanges and coordinated operations.

The initiative has collated more than 250,000 government service items and handled 371,000 cases.

Government service halls at all levels have fully implemented a comprehensive one-window acceptance system, with over 97,000 cases processed.

Meanwhile, 456 service windows have been set up across the region to handle applications with only one on-site visit required to the administrative service centers. A total of 103 items are on the service list of these windows.

Reform of commercial system

Inner Mongolia has established an online platform for business start-ups, which has streamlined the business start-up process and lowered the cost of business start-ups.

The platform runs the seal industry public security management information system, which completely stops collecting network access fees and the service fees of seal engraving units and prohibits any form of illegal charges and monopolistic operations.

More convenient administrative approval

Inner Mongolia has accelerated the reform of its approval system for engineering construction projects. Project approvals, checking and filing, as well as municipal public services, intermediary services and technical reviews have been handled online throughout the entire process.

The time taken for the examination and approval of construction land applications procedures at the autonomous region level has been reduced to 15 working days.

Improved supervision levels

Inner Mongolia has organized for Hohhot and Baotou cities to undertake pilot projects for corporate credit risk classification supervision, in a bid to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of supervision.

The Implementation Plan on Strengthening the Construction of Government Affairs Honesty has also reportedly been revised and improved.