The Harbin area of the China Heilongjiang Pilot Free Trade Zone launched 25 preferential policies on June 9 – designed to boost industrial development during the normalized novel coronavirus epidemic prevention and control period, according to FTZ officials.

Officials said the policies as focusing on seven aspects: expanding the zone’s opening-up, speeding up the development of industrial clusters, supply guarantees, the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, recruiting top people, support for biomedical industrial parks and increased policy implementation.
 
They said efforts were being made by the government to build a new industrial development system in the zone and strengthen policies and guarantee mechanisms.
 
Several highlights of the policies are as follows:
 
Expand foreign trade
 
There will be a break for foreign-invested enterprises above a designated size – those with annual revenue of 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) or more  – and foreign trade enterprises with an annual import and export value of more than $2 million. Their annual contributions to local economic development – in the form of taxes paid at the district level – will be fully reimbursed to the enterprises themselves. 
 
Export-oriented headquarters economic projects, that have a demonstration and leading role in major reforms and innovations in the Harbin free trade zone, will be given a maximum rebate of 5 percent of the project investment.
 
Encourage development of the processing trade
 
For new constructions, renovations and expansion projects of import and export processing trade companies, rebates of 2 percent of the project investment shall be given to the enterprises, with a maximum rebate of 5 million yuan.
 
For processing trade companies – conducting equipment upgrading, commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, product upgrading and developing emerging industries – subsidies shall be granted at 10 percent of the project investment, with a maximum subsidy of 2 million yuan.
 
Reduce logistics costs
 
For the production enterprises  – engaged in import and export, whose annual import and export value exceeds $2 million – 30 percent of their freight costs of raw materials shipped to Harbin will be given as subsidies, with an annual maximum subsidy of 6 million yuan.
 
For enterprises carrying out the cross-border trade and logistics business, road transport fees between Harbin and the Sino-Russian border checkpoints will be subsidized at 50 percent of the freight cost, up to 5 million yuan per year.
 
Support development of cross-border e-commerce
 
For cross-border e-commerce platforms with an annual turnover of more than 200 million yuan, 30 percent of the platforms’ investment in the previous year will be returned. A maximum of 2 million yuan in subsidies will be granted.