Read in Chinese
Speakers:
Mr. Pu Chun, vice minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and administrator of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration
Mr. Wang Guowei, deputy director general of the Department of Comprehensive Planning of the SAMR
Mr. Zhou Zhigao, director general of the Department of Competition Policy Coordination of the SAMR
Mr. Liu Sanjiang, director general of the Bureau of Quality Development of the SAMR
Chairperson:
Ms. Xing Huina, deputy director general of the Press Bureau of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and spokesperson of the SCIO
Date:
Aug. 16, 2024
Xing Huina:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the State Council Information Office (SCIO), as part of the series "Promoting High-Quality Development." Today, we have invited Mr. Pu Chun, vice minister of the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and administrator of the National Certification and Accreditation Administration, to brief you on relevant developments and to take your questions. Also present today are Mr. Wang Guowei, deputy director general of the Department of Comprehensive Planning of the SAMR; Mr. Zhou Zhigao, director general of the Department of Competition Policy Coordination of the SAMR; and Mr. Liu Sanjiang, director general of the Bureau of Quality Development of the SAMR.
Now, I'll give the floor to Mr. Pu for his introduction.
Pu Chun:
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I'm very glad to attend this press conference with my colleagues, and to speak with you about how market regulation has supported high-quality development in recent years.
The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) drew a grand blueprint for building a modern socialist country in all respects, with high-quality development being the top priority in this endeavor. In recent years, market regulatory authorities have adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and fully and faithfully applied the new development philosophy on all fronts. They have better coordinated efficiency and fairness, vitality and order, as well as development and security, striving to fulfill their role in supporting overall high-quality development. The achievements are mainly reflected in five aspects:
First, market regulation systems and rules have consistently been improved. We have focused on refining a unified market regulatory framework. For example, we have facilitated introducing and implementing the regulation on the registration management of market entities as well as the revised Company Law and its supporting rules. We have amended the Anti-Monopoly Law, pushed for the introduction of regulations for fair competition reviews, and advanced the revision of interim regulations on the disclosure of information regarding companies' practices. Additionally, we have issued an interim regulation against unfair competition in cyberspace. These efforts have provided strong support for constantly improving the systems underpinning the market economy.
Second, the development quality of business entities has been continuously increased. We have worked to unleash the internal driving forces and creativity of various business entities, establishing and refining an evaluation system for their development quality. We have launched 22 measures to promote the private economy's development, and promoted the practice of "getting one thing done efficiently" in areas such as business deregistration. We have provided precise and effective support for the development of self-employed individuals. In 2023, the number of registered business entities nationwide reached 184 million, with a year-on-year increase of 0.69% in business activity, and the average lifespan of exiting enterprises was extended by 0.64 years.
Third, the fair competitive market environment has been further optimized. We have thoroughly implemented policies for fair competition and continuously enhanced the rigid restraints of fair competition review. We have strengthened regulation and law enforcement against monopolies and unfair competition, effectively ensuring fair market competition. Since the implementation of the mechanisms for fair competition, a total of 1.62 million policies and measures have been reviewed nationwide, abolishing or revising 93,000 policies and measures that eliminate or limit competition. Since the beginning of this year, we have investigated and prosecuted, in accordance with the law, four cases of monopoly agreements and market dominance abuse, 6,076 cases of unfair competition, and 10 cases of abusing administrative power to exclude or restrict competition. After the implementation of revised rules on declaration standards regarding the concentration of business operators, the number of declarations decreased by 13% year on year, making business investments and mergers more convenient. Surveys show that over 80% of enterprises are satisfied with the professionalism of competition-related law enforcement.
Fourth, stronger guidance and support on quality and standards have been provided. We have accelerated improvements to quality infrastructure to adapt to the modernized industrial system. Efforts have been focused on advancing key initiatives, including a special campaign to strengthen supply chains through quality improvement and signature projects to stabilize chains through standardization. We also formulated an action plan to promote equipment renewal and consumer goods trade-ins by improving standards. Since this year, 628 quality improvement projects have been launched nationwide to strengthen supply chains. We've also revised and newly formulated 84 key national standards. Additionally, we've announced 112 national standards in areas such as energy efficiency, home appliances and gas equipment. We've also established and refined quality certification systems for key industries and are accelerating the opening up of high-level certification and accreditation systems to support high-quality development. To date, 3.91 million quality certification certificates have been issued, covering over 1 million organizations. China has joined 21 international conformity assessment organizations and has signed 15 multilateral mutual recognition agreements and 128 bilateral cooperation and mutual recognition agreements.
Fifth, progress has been made in comprehensive market order governance. We've focused on regulating the use of discretionary administrative powers in market affairs to improve regulation-based law enforcement. The consumer environment has been further optimized by fully implementing a public complaint information disclosure system and improving recall management systems. We've developed and strengthened a market regulation safety responsibility system that emphasizes increasing efforts at the primary and grassroots levels to ensure tangible, real-world results. This approach has further enhanced our risk control mechanisms across key areas, including safety in food, drugs, industrial products and special equipment. So far this year, market regulation authorities at all levels have handled 315,000 cases, resulting in fines and confiscations totaling 1.7 billion yuan ($240 million). The national 12315 hotline platform has seen a 33.7% year-on-year increase in complaints, reports, and inquiries, recovering 2.04 billion yuan in economic losses for consumers. There have also been 150 automobile recalls involving 6.678 million vehicles and 485 consumer product recalls involving 3.129 million items.
The present and the near future constitute a critical period for our endeavor to build a great country and move toward national rejuvenation on all fronts through Chinese modernization. We will thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Our efforts will focus on major reform tasks like building a high-standard socialist market economy, promoting high-quality economic development, building a unified national market, refining the systems underpinning the market economy, improving the institutions and mechanisms for fostering new quality productive forces in line with local conditions, pushing forward the innovative development of the platform economy while improving the system for its routine regulation, and enhancing the overall market regulation capabilities. These reforms will contribute our part to China's modernization through high-quality development.
That is all for my introduction. Now, my colleagues and I will be pleased to answer your questions. Thank you.
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Xing Huina:
The floor is now open for questions. Please identify the news outlet you represent before raising your questions.
Shenzhen Satellite TV:
An increasing number of people are paying attention to the credibility of business entities. Could you update us on the progress of building a credibility system for businesses? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
In recent years, market regulators have accelerated the development of a business credibility system. This includes establishing credibility records, publicizing credit information, promoting incentives for trustworthy behavior, penalizing trust breaches, and implementing categorized credit risk management.
Since its launch, the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System has averaged 131 million visits and over 16 million inquiries daily. Consumers and market participants can easily access comprehensive information about a business's operations and credibility, enabling them to make informed judgments. Information disclosure is now widely seen as a supervisory tool, demonstrating how credit oversight can facilitate public governance and support high-quality business development.
An increasing number of businesses are prioritizing their credit status. On the one hand, the SAMR has intensified its three-year campaign to improve business credit, focusing on laying a solid foundation, empowering leading market players, improving services, and enhancing overall credit levels. On the other hand, we are gradually refining the joint work system for credit restoration, ensuring that information on restoration outcomes is shared and mutually recognized and addressing redundant restoration processes.
Besides, we have continued to enrich our credit supervision toolbox and have implemented inclusive and prudential regulations. We have implemented, across the board, the classification management for enterprise credit risks, with classification results being regularly used in practices such as the random selection of inspectors and inspection targets and the prompt release of results. This random selection method has led to a 51.9% increase in the number of issues detected. Enterprises' credit information will be shared in various ways to all departments. By the end of July, 11.331 billion pieces of data had been directly provided and 2.032 billion interface call services has been offered, supporting coordinated supervision. We have explored sharing credit supervision data with platform enterprises, supporting Zhejiang province and Haidian district of Beijing in sharing such data with platform enterprises on a trial basis. In places like Shenzhen and Hangzhou, pilot work has been done to check information of individual businesses via WeChat and Alipay platforms. All these have contributed to the exploration of enhancing joint governance with platform enterprises. We have promoted the joint construction of credit initiatives in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Yangtze River Delta Region, as well as initiated the joint construction of a credit system in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, empowering regional coordinated development and serving national major strategies.
Going forward, the SAMR will follow the principle of "improving the social credit system and related oversight institutions" proposed by the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, continuing to focus on the central task of building a market entities credit system. With enhancing enterprise credit as the main task, information collection and publication as the foundation, credit constraint and discipline as the key, dual random selection supervision model as the lever and credit risk classification as the basis, we will continue to leverage the role of credit to empower high-quality development. By doing so, the improvement of the credit environment will drive the improvement of the market environment, business environment and development environment. Thank you.
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People's Daily:
This year the State Council has launched an initiative to optimize administrative services and promote one-stop government services. What has the SAMR done to implement the initiative by the State Council?
Pu Chun:
I'll ask my colleague, Wang Guowei, to respond to this question.
Wang Guowei:
Happy to answer your question. Since this year, according to the arrangement of the State Council, SAMR's work with relevant departments to promote one-stop government services has been with three services frequently encountered by residents and involving various departments. The three services are business information changes, business deregistration and opening a restaurant.
What are one-stop government services? Previously, what seemed like a single matter to enterprises and residents actually involved multiple departments, requiring applicants to navigate various procedures step by step, which led to repeated visits to departments. Each department designed its own rules, with some departments requiring the completion of procedures in other departments before the applicants could proceed, resulting in reciprocal requirements and additional trips for applicants. This problem wasn't unheard of in the past, causing great inconvenience to residents. How do one-stop government services solve the problem? In short, it requires coordinated innovation and deep integration across the three aspects of systems, operations and technology.
First is system innovation. We need to shift from management rules that were designed primarily for government efficiency to rules that prioritize convenience for the public. For instance, we should reduce or eliminate the number of required documents wherever possible, so that applicants only need to visit one department.
Second is business process innovation. The handling processes should move from a sequential approach where one step follows another to a parallel approach. For example, with items that involve various departments, tasks are responded to, linked, circulated and handled through the coordination of these departments. This will make things much more convenient for enterprises.
Third is technological innovation. Online government services should evolve from simple passive reception to diversified scenario services based on the needs of the public. To this end, we have promoted interconnectivity across regions, departments and administrative levels. By leveraging digital technology, we have created an accessible, smart and convenient online government service system, where the public can complete their tasks entirely online.
Our innovative reforms in three key areas have yielded significant results, as evidenced by the following data. For enterprise information changes, we reduced procedures from seven to one, eliminated the need for 13 documents, and cut approval time by six working days. For enterprise deregistration, we reduced the number of procedures from 10 to four. For ordinary deregistration, we cut processing time from a minimum of 70 days to just 46 days, including a statutory notice period of 45 days, which is unlikely to be shortened or skipped because the legitimate rights and interests of creditors and other stakeholders need protection. For opening catering businesses, we reduced processing time from 37 to 15 working days and eliminated 14 previously required documents. These improvements demonstrate that our reforms have streamlined administrative procedures for enterprises and individuals, cutting time and costs while optimizing the whole process. As a result, we are now more confident in better addressing public concerns by upholding the spirit of reform and implementing related measures.
Looking ahead, the SAMR will follow the unified arrangements of the State Council, continue to deepen reform in one-stop government services to achieve new outcomes and improve the quality and efficiency of government services to benefit both enterprises and individuals. Thank you.
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Cover News:
The resolution adopted at the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasizes the need to enhance the binding force of fair competition review and to take stronger action against monopolies and unfair competition. What work has been done by the SAMR in this regard? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
My colleague Mr. Zhou will answer this question.
Zhou Zhigao:
Fair competition is the cornerstone of a market economy and provides important support for high-quality development. In recent years, the SAMR has focused on high-quality development as our top priority. We have consistently worked to regulate market competition, ensuring fair competition and maintaining market order. Our work has mainly been in three aspects:
First, we have deepened anti-monopoly regulation and enforcement in key areas. Over the past two years, we have carried out special anti-monopoly enforcement actions in sectors related to people's well-being, enhancing regulation and enforcement in the fields of medicine, building materials, automobiles, and utilities. Since 2022, we have investigated and dealt with 60 cases involving monopoly agreements and abuses of dominant market positions. These actions have resulted in forfeitures exceeding 2.5 billion yuan, contributing to a steady improvement in market competition order. Meanwhile, we deepened regular anti-monopoly regulation in the digital economy and other areas. We unconditionally approved 48 notifications of platform operator concentrations in accordance with the law. We have fully leveraged major cases as cautionary examples to encourage business operators to sign industry-specific self-discipline pacts, issued warnings against monopolistic practices as per the law, urged and guided enterprises involved in various cases to restructure and meet compliance requirements, aiming to continuously optimize order across multiple industries.
Second, we have made efforts to conduct anti-monopoly reviews of cases of operator concentration. Since 2022, we have investigated and closed more than 1,900 such cases, conditionally approved 10, including Simcere's acquisition of Tobishi and Wanhua Chemical's acquisition of Yantai Juli Fine Chemical, and legally lifted the restrictive conditions over the case of Marubeni Corporation buying the entire stake of Gavilon Holdings, boosting enterprises' vitality in investment and mergers. Meanwhile, we reviewed simple cases and other cases separately, authorized market regulation departments in Beijing and four other provincial-level regions to conduct anti-monopoly reviews of some simple cases of operator concentration, and launched online systems to review these cases, thus improving the quality and efficiency of case reviews.
Third, we have supported and guided operators to enhance anti-monopoly compliance. This April, the Anti-Monopoly and Anti-Unfair Competition Commission of the State Council revised and issued anti-monopoly compliance guidance for operators, detailing specific monopoly-related compliance risks, and established an incentive system for anti-monopoly compliance. Meanwhile, we released anti-monopoly compliance guidance for operator concentration and hosted a series of lectures on anti-monopoly compliance, aiming to support and guide operators in enhancing compliance management. We are intensifying efforts to establish national standards for fair competition compliance management among operators. We aim to create a collaborative governance model combining voluntary enterprise compliance, effective government guidance, and widespread public support.
As you just mentioned, the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee laid out explicit requirements for intensifying anti-monopoly measures. Moving forward, the SAMR will continue to enhance and refine its supervision and enforcement of these measures. Our goal is to better maintain market order, address market failures and ensure an environment for fair competition that bolsters the internal driving forces and creativity of the whole of society. By championing fair competition, we aim to promote high-quality development yielding even more substantial outcomes. Thank you.
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CCTV:
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee emphasized there will be no irresolution about encouraging, supporting, and guiding non-public sector development. Self-employed individuals are a vital component of this sector. How can the SAMR further promote the development of these individuals and enable them to thrive and contribute more significantly? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
Thank you for your interest in and concern for this group. As of the end of this June, the country had 125 million individuals registered as self-employed, accounting for 66.9% of all business entities. This significant number highlights their active role in stabilizing employment, fostering development and delivering real benefits to the people.
As the supportive "parental home" to these businesses, the market regulatory body will fully leverage their close ties with them. In collaboration with relevant departments, we aim to boost their internal drive and innovative potential through adopting a combination of measures, boosting high-quality development.
Our commitment includes improving mechanisms and measures. Currently, we are conducting research and working out a regulation to promote development and standardize registration management of self-employed individuals. This regulation will specify key initiatives for market regulators to boost the development of these individuals, effectively guiding registration authorities at various levels. We aim to address pivotal challenges such as the transition from individuals to corporate entities, succession of management rights and market exit strategies, thereby facilitating sustainable growth for these businesses.
We will continue strengthening our efforts in promoting the implementation of policies. We are advancing precise and tiered support for individual businesses categorized into three development stages: subsistence, growth and advanced development. This approach provides tailored assistance measures that meet the unique needs of each stage. Additionally, initiatives to recognize and cultivate renowned, distinctive, high-quality or emerging individual businesses are underway, which are expected to set industrial benchmarks and elevate sector standards comprehensively. By the end of this year, we plan to consolidate categorized data to establish a comprehensive national directory of self-employed individuals, ensuring clarity and precision in support initiatives.
We will continue strengthening our efforts in innovating service measures. This September, the SAMR, together with 13 other departments, will host the third National Month of Service for Individual Business Owners, under the theme of "Categorized Assistance, Energizing Vitality, Serving Development." This event will include 11 activities focusing on six themes from promotional training to employment matchmaking, boosting consumer convenience and financial support tailored to ensure the policy implementation and elevate service standards. We have also established a nationwide network for the development of individual businesses, designed to align resources from local governments, industry associations, internet platforms and financial institutions and meet the needs of individual businesses in terms of policy consultation, processing operation permit and business license, financial and tax management, recruitment and employment, and skill training. This network aims to facilitate a supportive ecosystem offering comprehensive, market-oriented, regular services tailored to the nuanced needs of this vibrant sector.
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21st Century Business Herald:
Quality infrastructure is referred to as "the foundation of the foundation" and is an important technological provision for promoting high-quality development. What work has been done by the SAMR to strengthen the construction of quality infrastructure? How about progress?
Pu Chun:
My colleague Mr. Liu will respond to these questions.
Liu Sanjiang:
Building high-level quality infrastructure is an important arrangement made in The Outline for Improving the Overall Quality of China's Economy. Here, I would like to briefly introduce the progress that the administration of market regulation has made in building high-level quality infrastructure.
In terms of optimizing management, we have been committed to building an efficient and authoritative national quality infrastructure management system. We have optimized the dual structure of government standards and market standards by advancing the reform and innovation of the standardized management, with a focus on stimulating the vitality of the market to formulate standards independently. Data shows that the total number of social organization standards increased by 45.3% from 2022 to 2023. With regard to the reform on measurement systems, we have launched pilot reforms to diversify measurement instrument certification, improving the management mode of national measurement technical specifications and advancing the construction of a modern and advanced national measurement system. At the same time, we have improved the quality certification management system, deepened the market-oriented reform of inspection and testing institutions, and strengthened industry supervision. As of the end of 2023, there are over 34,000 qualified private inspection and testing institutions in China. Over the decade, the proportion of private inspection and testing institutions in the total number of institutions has doubled, accounting for 63.47% of the total number of institutions in the industry.
In terms of capacity building, China's internationally recognized calibration and measurement capabilities have reached 1,879, ranking among the top in the world. We have established 202 national measurement benchmarks and issued 2,056 national measurement technical specifications. At present, we have issued more than 45,000 national standards and built a new standard system with Chinese characteristics, realizing the full coverage of primary, secondary and tertiary industries and social undertakings. The conversion rate of international standards has surpassed 83%. Concerning certification and accreditation of inspection and testing, China has led the world in the number of authorized certificates and certified organizations for many years. There are 17,870 accredited conformity assessment bodies and more than 54,000 qualified inspection and testing institutions, with an annual revenue of over 470 billion yuan, accounting for about 25% of the world's total. China has become the most dynamic and efficient market in the world. In addition, we have organized and carried out more than 200 inspection and testing capability verification and interlaboratory comparisons in various fields every year, continuously verifying and improving the technical capabilities of inspection and testing institutions.
In terms of improving service efficiency, we have carried out a number of actions for quality infrastructure assistance, such as the program on providing measurement services for small and medium-sized enterprises, a special action on benchmarking and compliance, and the action on certification and enhancement of quality management system for micro and small businesses, so as to promote the continuous release of service efficiency for quality infrastructure in different fields and industries. Among them, the action on certification and enhancement of quality management system for micro and small businesses has provided 32 billion yuan of financial credit support, such as loans for certified micro and small businesses, and nearly 40 million yuan of certification fees have been reduced and exempted. In particular, the administration for market regulation has also been promoting the "one-stop" services of quality infrastructure and has established 1,450 service stations nationwide. A number of typical service models that can be replicated and promoted have emerged, which have played an important role in strengthening the competitiveness of micro and small businesses as well as promoting the high-quality development of regions and industries.
Next, we will continue to promote the upgrading of quality infrastructure and improve its efficiency, carry out monitoring and comprehensive evaluation of the operation of quality infrastructure, innovate the integrated and collaborative model of quality infrastructure and continue to enhance the development of "one-stop" services for quality infrastructure, so as to provide more solid and strong support on quality to promote high-quality development. Thank you.
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Hongxing News:
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed to build a unified national market, which would require breaking up various secluded small markets and their internal circulation. What measures have been adopted by the administration for market regulation to break up local protectionism and market segmentation? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
My colleague, Mr. Zhou, will answer this question.
Zhou Zhigao:
Thank you for your question. Just as you mentioned, breaking up local protectionism and market segmentation is of great significance to accelerate the construction of a unified national market. In recent years, the administration for market regulation has addressed both the symptoms and root causes, and has attached equal importance to efforts in both establishing new systems and abolishing old ones, working resolutely to break various forms of local protectionism and market segmentation with positive progress being achieved.
First, we have improved the mechanisms for fair competition with higher standards and have consolidated the foundational rules of law for building a unified national market. Building a unified national market requires comprehensive and unified mechanisms for fair competition. In June 2022, China completed the first amendment to the Anti-Monopoly Law after 15 years since its introduction, establishing a foundational role for competition policies from the legal perspective. In January this year, the State Council revised and raised the declaration thresholds for concentration of undertakings, facilitating investment, mergers and acquisitions of enterprises. On Aug. 1, the Regulations for Fair Competition Reviews officially came into effect and put forward specific requirements with 19 prohibitions from four aspects, preventing the introduction of policies and measures that would exclude or impede competition. The formulation and revision of these laws and regulations has laid a solid institutional groundwork for eliminating local protectionism and speeding up the construction of a unified national market.
Second, we further enhanced supervision and law enforcement, regulating improper administrative interventions in market competition. Since 2022, we have focused on public utilities and other key fields and strengthened law enforcement to prevent and stop the abuse of administrative power that excludes and stifles competition. So far, we've investigated and resolved 122 cases of administrative monopolies. In addition, we began reviewing and abolishing policies and measures that hinder the development of a unified national market and fair competition. We've fully implemented a fair competition review system to ensure institutions serve as a rigid constraint. We addressed numerous improper actions that restricted trade, impeded the free flow of commodities and factors of production, or excluded and restricted non-local businesses, aiming to eradicate closed "small markets" and fragmented "minor cycles."
Third, we bolstered public support for fair competition, encouraging all stakeholders to safeguard and promote it. Since 2022, we have organized an annual publicity week for China's fair competition policies with the theme "Unified National Market, Fair Competition for the Future." We have published annual reports on anti-monopoly law enforcement and carried out publicity activities to introduce fair competition laws and policies to government organs, Party schools, and enterprises. We've also intensified publicity and training efforts, vigorously promoting a culture of fair competition. I'd like to inform all our media friends that this year's publicity week for fair competition policies will kick off in September, and we welcome your support.
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made important deployments on building a unified national market. It proposed that we enhance the binding force of fair competition review, and review and abolish regulations and practices that impede the development of a unified national market and fair competition. Moving forward, the SAMR will thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the session and enhance the intensity and effectiveness of regulating improper administrative interventions in market competition, aiming to create a fairer and more vigorous environment for all business entities. Thank you.
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Xinhua News Agency:
A series of trade-in policies have been introduced since the beginning of this year. The SAMR, alongside six other departments, also rolled out specific measures to facilitate and encourage equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins. Could you share the progress made on these efforts? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
Thanks for your question. To implement the Action Plan for Promoting Large-scale Equipment Renewals and Trade-ins of Consumer Goods released by the State Council, the SAMR and six other departments have issued specific measures to encourage equipment renewals and consumer goods trade-ins by enhancing standards. We aim to develop or revise 294 key national standards by the end of 2025, with 129 slated for completion in 2024 and 165 in 2025. Through the development and implementation of these standards, coupled with policy support, we will facilitate the renewal of equipment and consumer goods trade-ins.
Since the launch of the standards-upgrading campaign, the SAMR has closely coordinated with relevant departments of the State Council to establish detailed working records, optimize processes, schedule work regularly, and assess and report progress. This approach has connected all stages of standards setting and accelerated the formulation and implementation of standards. At present, all 294 key national standards have been approved, with 55 already released, encompassing energy consumption, energy efficiency, pollutant emissions, production safety, electric vehicles, household appliances, household goods, civilian drones and other fields, playing a key role in promoting equipment upgrades and trade-ins of consumer goods. For example, in terms of energy consumption and efficiency, we introduced mandatory energy efficiency standards for power transformers, chiller units, and small- and medium-sized cold storage facilities. We also introduced mandatory energy consumption quota standards for coal-to-olefin, coal-to-natural gas and coal-to-oil business, as well as refining and chemical industries. The implementation of these standards, supported by relevant policies, helps drive technological transformation and equipment upgrades in enterprises.
High standards are the cornerstone of high-quality development, just as a solid foundation is essential for skyscrapers. The SAMR will continue to thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. We will adapt to the requirements of high-quality development by accelerating the implementation of our standards improvement initiative, continuously enhancing the national standards system, optimizing the standard supply structure, and elevating the overall quality of standards. For key products affecting people's safety, we will expedite the formulation and revision of mandatory national standards, strengthen their implementation and application, enhance the guiding role of standards, and maximize standardization efficiency. Thank you.
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Phoenix TV:
The 2024 government work report proposes resolutely investigating and dealing with the imposition of arbitrary charges, fines and quotas. What measures is the SAMR implementing to curb arbitrary charges on enterprises? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
I'll invite Mr. Wang Guowei to answer this question.
Wang Guowei:
Arbitrary charges on enterprises increase their costs and undermine the business environment. Even if it's an isolated occurrence, it can substantially erode businesses' confidence in the economic climate. This conduct is unacceptable, and we must implement a stringent zero-tolerance policy. To address this issue, the SAMR has implemented directives from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, launching a special campaign against irregular charges affecting businesses. To identify and resolve problems to the greatest extent possible, we have focused on strengthening four key measures:
First, we are focusing on key fee-charging entities. Regarding behaviors involving providing services or selling goods to businesses and collecting fees, four types of entities are more likely to engage in improper charging. First, administrative bodies, as well as public institutions and social organizations authorized by laws and regulations to perform public affairs management functions. Second, social organizations and public institutions entrusted by the government to undertake tasks and provide services that fulfill official responsibilities. Third, industry associations and chambers of commerce with significant industry influence. Fourth, business entities with advantageous positions in specific fields and market transactions. We will pay particular attention to and conduct thorough inspections of them.
Second, we are highlighting key industries. We'll focus on problems reported by government departments and affiliated units, industry associations, financial institutions, natural gas networks, and water supply companies, as well as issues raised by technology innovation and manufacturing enterprises. The aim is to help the real economy reduce external costs and increase internal momentum.
Third, we are investigating key illegal activities. In this campaign, we've investigated and dealt with relevant illegal practices in accordance with the law. These include unauthorized charges by administrative approval intermediaries, industry associations leveraging administrative power for improper fees, failure of administrative licensing departments and financial institutions to implement fee reduction policies, and natural gas networks and water supply companies not adhering to government pricing. This demonstrates our commitment to tackling the challenges faced by businesses.
Fourth, we are optimizing law enforcement inspection methods. To improve governance quality and effectiveness, this year, we organized cross-regional inspections in different locations and conducted key spot checks with national-level teams. We also implemented measures such as gathering business feedback and reviewing enforcement case files to ensure the timely detection and resolution of illegal activities.
The special rectification action has achieved positive results. Here are some figures: So far, a total of 44,800 units have been inspected, 1,253 cases have been filed, and 393 million yuan in unwarranted charges have been refunded.
Next, we will further smooth the channels for uncovering illegal and non-compliant activities, significantly improve our regulatory enforcement capabilities, and ensure the effective supervision and implementation of the Compliance Guidelines for the Charging Practices of Industry Associations and Chambers of Commerce. Additionally, we will also accelerate the introduction of the Measures for Handling Illegal and Non-compliant Charging Practices Involving Enterprises. By relying on the authority of the rule of law, we aim to systematically address the issue of arbitrary charges on enterprises, effectively reduce unreasonable costs and play a stronger protective role in the healthy development of enterprises. Thank you.
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Yicai:
Regarding efforts to strengthen quality support and standard leadership, the SAMR is currently carrying out initiatives to strengthen quality in enterprises, across industrial chains and in counties. How is this work progressing? And what will the focus be in the next phase? Thank you.
Pu Chun:
I would like to invite my colleague, Mr. Liu Sanjiang, to answer this question.
Liu Sanjiang:
Thank you for your interest in the three key initiatives related to quality. Earlier this year, the SAMR deployed three key initiatives: strengthening quality in enterprises, across industrial chains and in counties. These initiatives aim to promote high-quality development across points, lines and sectors, and so far, the overall progress has been smooth. In terms of strengthening quality across industrial chains, we are primarily focusing on the quality improvement needs of key industrial chains such as integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, quantum information technologies and new energy vehicles. We have established 146 key tasks for breakthroughs, bringing together a large number of research institutions, top research universities and leading enterprises to collaborate on these challenges. This has strengthened quality support for key industrial chains, and we have achieved phased results. As for enhancing quality in enterprises and counties, work plans and indicator systems have been developed and are being gradually rolled out nationwide. Moving forward, we will focus on the following areas:
In terms of strengthening quality in enterprises, we will cultivate a group of leading enterprises that will contribute to building China into a "manufacturer of quality," thereby better leveraging quality to promote the growth and strengthening of enterprises. Specific measures include: formulating and issuing cultivation guidelines, establishing clear orientation guidance, and, while directing enterprises on "what to do," emphasizing guidance on "how to do it." We plan to organize an on-site experience exchange and promotion conference for leading enterprises to share their quality improvement experiences. We will guide various regions to base their actions on actual industrial development conditions, promote extensive exchanges of benchmark experiences in quality, and encourage more enterprises to learn from advanced examples and align with benchmarks. Our goal is to create a positive atmosphere for quality improvement through "comparing, learning, catching up, assisting and surpassing," thereby gathering strong momentum for building China into a manufacturer of quality.
In terms of strengthening quality in industry chains, we will continue to promote major landmark projects to better leverage the role of quality infrastructure in supporting the creation of complete industrial ecosystems and strengthening industrial chains. To address the weak links and urgent needs for core components, testing methods and other key technical standards essential for the development of key industries, we will accelerate the development of a batch of national standards and promote the establishment of a set of international standards. To address the issue of non-uniform measuring instruments in key industries, we will establish new methods for the transmission and traceability of measurement values and develop a batch of measurement technical specifications and measurement standard devices. To address the notable issues of missing testing methods and insufficient inspection capabilities for key products and important equipment, such as complete industrial robots and their core components, we will expedite the development of urgently needed inspection and testing methods. Regarding the imperfect certification and accreditation system for key industries, such as ultra-fast charging for electric vehicles, we will establish a set of quality evaluation and certification systems to help enhance the quality linkages of industrial and supply chains. Later this month, we will hold a national on-site experience exchange and promotion conference on strengthening quality in industrial chains in Guangzhou, which we welcome you all to attend.
In terms of building strong counties with quality, we will focus on cultivating a group of counties, districts and towns with strong qualities to better leverage quality in promoting sustainable urban development. This includes strengthening categorized development and construction guidance, and supporting various local quality innovation practices. We will establish a repository for counties (districts, towns) with strong qualities and enhance longitudinal monitoring and cross-comparison of quality conditions. We will hold experience exchange meetings for counties with strong qualities to share and promote cutting-edge experiences and distinctive practices, striving to create new regional advantages in quality development. That's all for my introduction, thank you.
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Xing Huina:
The last question, please.
Economic Daily:
The third plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed promoting the development of the platform economy and improving its routine regulation system. Could the SAMR share its thoughts on this?
Pu Chun:
I'll take this question. Now, internet platforms are integral to our work and daily lives. Ensuring their standardized and healthy continuous development is a widespread concern in society. The market supervision department attaches great importance to this field. From the strategic perspective of building new national competitive advantages, we emphasize both development and regulation. We actively support platform enterprises playing a crucial role in promoting innovation, increasing employment as well as international competition.
This year, we have organized six compliance promotion meetings for platform enterprises, focusing on areas such as regulating the "618" promotion activities and ensuring the safety of electric bicycles. We've established a routine communication mechanism with platform enterprises. We reinforced the responsibility of platform enterprises through compliance management and consistently conducted online market supervision actions to foster development and ensure safety, especially issuing compliance reminders during critical periods to maintain a regulated and orderly market environment within the platform economy. This helps secure a foundation for the high-quality growth of various business entities.
In terms of standardization, we've guided the release of the Big Data Standardization White Paper (2023 Edition), introduced 35 national standards that are critical to the flow of data and 22 national standards for e-commerce quality supervision. We have continued to formulate and improve the standards for e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce and other key areas. We have advanced standards related to e-commerce quality traceability and development evaluation. As the secretariat of the ISO Technical Committee on Transaction Assurance in E-commerce, we have actively engaged with international counterparts to build a global framework for e-commerce regulations. By promoting the integration and alignment of domestic and international e-commerce standards, we strived to facilitate the high-quality development of the platform economy.
Moreover, we have been building and enhancing the quality certification system in the field of data, intensifying our certification efforts in areas such as mobile internet applications, data security management and personal information protection, with over 300 certificates issued. We have promoted a comprehensive, multi-level mechanism for accrediting applications in quality certification, continuously enhancing the system's effectiveness and credibility, as well as bolstering data security awareness and personal information protection capabilities among platform enterprises.
In terms of regulatory measures, we have improved the smart regulatory rules in the field of market supervision and have initially formed a smart regulatory system and model that enables timely perception, rapid response, systematic supervision, proactive service and integrated governance. We are accelerating the development of the national online transaction supervision platform, enhancing our ability to provide early warnings and emergency response to major risks in the platform economy sector, and thus ensuring its healthy development.
That's all for my briefing. Thank you.
Xing Huina:
That concludes today's press conference. Thank you to our speakers and all the reporters for participating. Goodbye!
Translated and edited by Xu Xiaoxian, Wang Yiming, Wang Qian, Liu Jianing, Ma Yujia, Guo Yiming, Liu Sitong, Xu Kailin, Lin Liyao, Yuan Fang, Yan Xiaoqing, Liu Qiang, Wang Yanfang, Huang Shan, Zhou Jing, Liao Jiaxin, Li Huiru, Zhang Rui, Zhang Junmian, David Ball, Jay Birbeck, and Rochelle Beiersdorfer. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.
