Suzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]
Suzhou's efforts to improve its business environment have yielded good results and won widespread recognition from domestic foreign enterprises over the past decade, local media outlets reported recently.
In recent years, Suzhou's government has stepped up efforts to employ online platforms and digital technology to speed up corporate approval procedures, cut administrative service expenses, and increase administrative service efficiency.
Ten years ago, it required about 33 documents and took an average of 25 days to complete procedures for starting a business in Suzhou. Now, only six files and half a day are needed to do so.
The Su Shang Tong app, an official platform providing business services for companies' corporate bodies, offers over 170 functions related to finance, talent, technology, law, and B2B, as well as more than 12,000 pieces of information for users to handle business affairs.
The app also hosted 12 sessions of live-broadcast training for enterprises, including digital transformation, new media marketing, automobile industry, cross-border e-commerce, and new catering, attracting over 290,000 views in total.
In 2021, Suzhou ranked sixth among Chinese cities in terms of business environment, with 17 indicators in the top 20 in the country.
The National Development and Reform Commission, the selection's organizer, noted that relevant reform experience and typical practices in Suzhou should be replicated and promoted nationwide
In 2022, the optimization of the business environment in Suzhou will focus on institutional and mechanism innovation, with 100 reform measures and 169 specific items to further upgrade its business environment.