Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Circulation System and Accelerating the Development of the Circulation Industry

On August 3rd, the State Council issued the "Opinions of the State Council on Deepening the Reform of the Circulation System and Accelerating the Development of the Circulation Industry" (Guofa [2012] No. 39).
　Since the reform and opening up, China's circulation industry has made great progress, with continuous expansion of transaction scale, significant improvement in infrastructure, emergence of new business formats, accelerated development of modern circulation methods, and the circulation industry has become a fundamental and leading industry of the national economy. However, overall, China's circulation industry is still in an extensive development stage, with unreasonable network layout, unbalanced urban and rural development, low concentration, low levels of informatization, standardization, and internationalization, and increasingly prominent issues of low efficiency and high costs. To meet the needs of economic and social development under the new situation and accelerate the reform and development of the circulation industry, the following opinions are proposed:
　1. Guiding Ideology, Basic Principles, and Main Goals
　(1) Guiding Ideology. Guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and the important thought of the "Three Represents," thoroughly implement the Scientific Outlook on Development, focus on improving circulation efficiency, facilitating people's lives, ensuring product quality, guiding production development, and promoting residents' consumption, accelerate the transformation of the circulation industry's development mode, focus on solving key problems restricting the development of the circulation industry, effectively reduce circulation costs, and comprehensively improve the modernization level of circulation.
　(2) Basic Principles. Adhere to combining the role of the market with improving government functions. To a greater extent, give full play to the fundamental role of the market in allocating resources, follow the law of value and market rules, strengthen the dominant position of enterprises in the market; enhance the government's public service, market supervision, and macro-control capabilities. Adhere to combining deepening reform with expanding opening-up. Deepen various reforms in the circulation field to provide institutional guarantees for the development of the circulation industry; continue to promote the circulation industry's domestic and foreign opening-up, using opening-up to promote reform and development. Adhere to combining promoting development with strengthening regulation, increase support for key areas and weak links, promote the accelerated development of the circulation industry; strengthen the regulation of market order, improve the quality of industry development, and effectively guarantee and improve people's livelihood. Adhere to combining focusing on the present with looking to the long term. While closely meeting current needs and focusing on reducing circulation costs, also pay attention to long-term development and establish a long-term mechanism for circulation to guide production and promote consumption.
　(3) Main Goals. By 2020, the overall goal of China's circulation industry development is: basically establish a unified, open, competitive, orderly, safe, efficient, and integrated urban-rural modern circulation system; significantly improve the modernization level of the circulation industry; and further enhance its contribution to national economic and social development.
　— Significant results in improving efficiency and reducing costs in the circulation field, accelerated turnover speed of current assets of wholesale and retail enterprises, and a significant reduction in the ratio of total social logistics costs to GDP.
　— Modern information technology is widely applied in the circulation field; e-commerce, chain operations, and unified distribution have become the main circulation methods; the chain rate reaches about 22%; the unified distribution rate of goods reaches about 75%; and the circulation industry's ability to integrate resources and optimize allocation is further enhanced.
　— The competitiveness of circulation entities is significantly improved, forming a group of large circulation enterprises with wide network coverage, prominent main business, high brand awareness, and international competitiveness.
　— The policy, market, and legal environment for the development of the circulation industry is further optimized; market operation is more stable and standardized; residents' consumption is more convenient and safe; and a basically unified national market is formed.
　2. Main Tasks
　(4) Strengthen the construction of a modern circulation system. Rely on transportation hubs, production bases, central cities, and large commodity distribution centers to build a national backbone circulation network; construct a number of trade centers, specialized markets, and national and regional distribution centers with strong radiation and driving capabilities. Promote the transformation of bulk commodity trading markets to spot trading and increase the varieties traded in futures markets. Optimize the layout of urban circulation networks, orderly promote the construction of trade center cities and commercial streets, support the moderate agglomeration of specialty commerce, encourage the development of convenience stores, small and medium-sized comprehensive supermarkets, and build a convenient consumption and convenient life service system. Encourage large circulation enterprises to extend their business networks to rural areas, increase rural commercial outlets, expand outlet functions, actively cultivate and develop rural brokers, and improve the logistics distribution capacity and marketing service level of farmers' professional cooperatives. Support circulation enterprises in establishing integrated urban-rural marketing networks, smooth two-way circulation channels for agricultural products entering cities and industrial products going to the countryside. Vigorously develop third-party logistics and promote the socialization of internal enterprise logistics. Strengthen the effective connection of intercity, urban, and rural distribution, promote the highway non-stop toll collection system, and standardize the construction and operation standards of cargo loading and unloading stations. Accelerate the construction of a complete and advanced waste commodity recycling system, improve the second-hand goods circulation network, and promote circular consumption.
　(5) Actively innovate circulation methods. Vigorously promote and optimize supply chain management, encourage circulation enterprises to expand businesses such as design, display, distribution, sales, and recycling. Accelerate the development of e-commerce, popularize and deepen e-commerce applications, improve supporting systems such as certification and payment, and encourage circulation enterprises to establish or rely on third-party e-commerce platforms to conduct online transactions. Innovate online sales models, develop telephone shopping, online shopping, TV shopping, and other online goods and service transactions. Coordinate the construction of agricultural product distribution centers, sales places, and production area wholesale markets to build an integrated circulation chain for agricultural product production and sales; actively promote the docking of agriculture and supermarkets, agriculture and wholesale markets, agriculture and schools, as well as agricultural product exhibition and sales centers, direct sales stores, and other production and sales connection methods; explore the use of mobile sales vehicles in large and medium-sized cities. Focus on key areas such as energy conservation and environmental protection, circulation facilities, and circulation informatization, and vigorously promote the application of circulation standards. Encourage commercial enterprises to purchase and sell green products, promote the consumption of energy-saving and environmentally friendly products, and support the development of credit consumption. Promote the widespread application of product barcodes in the circulation field and improve the national unified item coding system.
　(6) Improve the capacity to guarantee market supply. Support the construction and renovation of a number of public welfare agricultural product wholesale markets, farmers' markets, vegetable markets, community vegetable stores, affordable agricultural and sideline product stores, as well as important commodity reserve facilities, large logistics distribution centers, agricultural product cold chain logistics facilities, etc., playing an important role of public welfare circulation facilities in meeting consumption demand, ensuring market stability, and improving emergency response capabilities. Improve the central and local important commodity reserve system, optimize the variety and regional structure of reserves, and appropriately expand the reserve scale of meat, sugar, border trade tea, and small-packaged grain and oil, vegetables, and other daily necessities in local reserves. Strengthen market operation analysis and forecasting early warning, enhance the foresight and predictability of market regulation. Strengthen the construction of a backbone enterprise team for market emergency regulation, improve the ability to quickly distribute emergency goods, and comprehensively use information guidance, regional allocation, storage and release, import and export, and other means to ensure the basic balance of market supply and demand.
　(7) Comprehensively improve the level of circulation informatization. Regard informatization construction as a strategic task for developing a modern circulation industry, strengthen planning and guidance, and promote the organic integration of marketing networks, logistics networks, and information networks. Encourage research and development and integrated innovation of information technology in the circulation field, accelerate the promotion of technologies such as the Internet of Things, Internet, cloud computing, global positioning system, mobile communication, geographic information system, and electronic tags in the circulation field. Promote the construction of public information service platforms in the circulation field, improve the sharing and utilization efficiency of various information resources. Support circulation enterprises in using advanced information technology to improve scientific management levels in warehousing, procurement, transportation, orders, and other links. Encourage circulation enterprises to strengthen cooperation with suppliers and information service providers, support the development and promotion of informatization solutions suitable for small and medium-sized circulation enterprises. Strengthen information security assurance.
　(8) Cultivate the core competitiveness of circulation enterprises. Actively cultivate large circulation enterprises and support capable circulation enterprises in cross-industry and cross-regional mergers and reorganizations. Support the specialized and distinctive development of small and medium-sized circulation enterprises, especially micro-enterprises, improve the service system for small and medium-sized circulation enterprises, support the development of a number of professional service institutions, and provide financing, market development, technology application, and management consulting services for small and medium-sized circulation enterprises. Encourage the development of direct-operated chains and franchise chains, and support circulation enterprises in expanding chain operation networks across regions. Actively promote the construction, renovation, and innovation of wholesale market operation models to enhance commodity throughput capacity and price discovery functions. Promote retail enterprises to change marketing methods and increase the proportion of self-operated business. Support circulation enterprises in building modern logistics centers and actively develop unified distribution. Strengthen intellectual property protection and encourage innovation and development of circulation brands.
　(9) Vigorously regulate market order. Strengthen circulation access management for goods related to the national economy, people's livelihood, and life safety, forming a full-process management mechanism covering access, supervision, and exit. Fully utilize social testing resources and establish a commodity inspection system involving personal health and safety. Establish and improve traceability systems for the circulation of meat, aquatic products, vegetables, fruits, alcohol, traditional Chinese medicine materials, agricultural supplies, and other goods. Increase supervision and inspection of commodity quality in the circulation field, improve regulatory methods and testing technology conditions. Strictly crack down on illegal acts such as intellectual property infringement, production and sale of counterfeit and inferior goods, commercial fraud, and commercial bribery according to law. Strengthen supervision and management of online commodity transactions. Regulate retailer and supplier trading behaviors and establish equal and harmonious supplier-retailer relationships. Accelerate the construction of a commercial credit system, improve systems for credit information collection, use, inquiry, and disclosure, and promote information sharing among industry management departments, law enforcement and regulatory departments, industry organizations, credit agencies, financial regulatory departments, and banking financial institutions. Refine departmental responsibilities and close regulatory loopholes.
　(10) Deepen reform and opening up in the circulation field. Establish a circulation management system with clear division of labor, unified authority and responsibility, and efficient coordination; improve departmental collaboration mechanisms; strengthen the connection between policy formulation, implementation, and supervision to enhance management efficiency. Accelerate the functional transformation of circulation management departments and strengthen social management and public service functions. Conduct modern circulation comprehensive pilot projects in qualified regions, strengthen overall coordination, and accelerate the construction of large circulation and large markets. Eliminate regional blockades and industry monopolies; strictly prohibit obstructing or restricting the entry of out-of-region goods, services, and operators into local markets; severely investigate and punish operators who exclude or restrict competition through monopoly agreements and other means. Encourage private capital to enter the circulation field, protect the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises, and promote the healthy development of private enterprises. Further improve the quality and level of foreign capital utilization in the circulation industry, introduce modern logistics and information technology to drive the upgrading and transformation of traditional circulation industries. Support qualified circulation enterprises to "go global" by establishing overseas distribution centers, exhibition centers, and other marketing and logistics service networks through new construction, mergers and acquisitions, equity participation, capital increase, and other means. Actively cultivate the foreign trade function of the domestic commodity market and promote the integration of domestic and foreign trade.
　3. Support Policies
　(11) Formulate and improve circulation network planning. Develop a national circulation node city layout plan and ensure planning coordination among various levels and regions. Scientifically prepare commercial outlet plans, determine the development and construction needs of commercial outlets, and incorporate them into the overall urban planning and land use planning. The construction of commercial outlets in towns and townships should be included in small town construction plans. When localities formulate regulatory detailed plans and construction detailed plans, they should fully consider the construction needs of commercial outlets and ensure coordination with commercial outlet plans. Improve the allocation of community commercial outlets; the area of commercial and comprehensive service facilities in newly built communities (including affordable housing communities such as low-rent housing, public rental housing, shantytown renovation, and old city renovation resettlement housing) shall not be less than 10% of the total building area of the community. Local governments should fund the purchase of some commercial properties to support the construction of essential commercial outlets for residents, such as community vegetable stores, vegetable markets, affordable agricultural and sideline product stores, convenience stores, breakfast shops, and housekeeping service points. Strictly regulate the use of community commercial outlets; the use and nature of essential commercial outlets shall not be changed arbitrarily, and their basic service functions must be maintained during demolition and reconstruction. Localities may issue commercial outlet construction guidance catalogs based on actual conditions to guide social capital investment.
　(12) Increase land support for the circulation industry. According to the overall land use plan and land use standards for circulation industry construction projects, coordinate the arrangement of various types of land for the circulation industry in the annual land use plan and land supply plan. Encourage the use of old factories, idle warehouses, and other facilities to build circulation facilities that comply with planning; for the transfer or lease of originally allocated land use rights, supply may be made by agreement upon approval. For circulation industry land that needs to be relocated due to old city reconstruction, after recovering the original state-owned construction land use rights, land can be arranged for the original land use rights holders by agreement upon approval. Encourage localities to supply circulation industry land by leasing. Support the lawful use of rural collective construction land for circulation industry development. Develop a government-encouraged circulation facility catalog and support land use for projects included in the catalog. Strengthen land management for the circulation industry according to law; prohibit land occupation under the name of logistics centers, commodity distribution centers, etc., to prevent land idling and waste.
　(13) Improve fiscal and financial support policies. Actively leverage the promotion role of relevant central government investments, improve fiscal policies that promote consumption, expand the scale of circulation promotion funds, and focus on supporting public welfare circulation facilities, agricultural products and rural circulation systems, circulation informatization construction, as well as household services, catering and other life service industries, development of small and medium-sized circulation enterprises, green circulation, and consumption expansion. Encourage banking financial institutions to innovate financial products and service methods tailored to the characteristics of the circulation industry, and carry out pledge financing using movable property, warehouse receipts, shop operation rights, leasing rights, etc. Improve credit management and develop financing leasing, business district financing, supply chain financing, commercial factoring, and other businesses. Fully utilize the supplementary role of pawn industries in financing small and micro enterprises. Broaden financing channels for circulation enterprises, support qualified large circulation enterprises in listing financing, establishing financial companies, and issuing company (enterprise) bonds and medium-term notes and other debt financing instruments. Guide financial institutions to innovate consumer credit products, improve consumer credit business management methods, and cultivate and consolidate consumer credit growth points.
　(14) Reduce the tax burden on the circulation industry. Exempt urban land use tax and property tax for agricultural product wholesale markets and farmers' markets within a certain period. Expand the policy of exempting value-added tax on vegetable circulation links to qualified fresh agricultural products. Accelerate the formulation and improvement of tax policies that promote the construction of waste and used goods recycling systems. Improve and implement the policy of exempting business tax for housekeeping service enterprises to promote the development of life service industries. Implement the consolidated tax payment policy for head offices and branches to promote cross-regional development of chain operation enterprises. Actively promote the pilot program of replacing business tax with value-added tax and improve the tax system for the circulation industry.
　(15) Reduce circulation link costs. Expedite the issuance of a comprehensive implementation plan to reduce circulation costs. Optimize the structure of bank card swipe fees, reduce overall cost levels, and expand the use of bank cards. Accelerate the promotion of equal pricing for industrial and commercial electricity and water. Implement the "green channel" policy for the transportation of fresh agricultural products, ensuring that all vehicles legally loaded with fresh agricultural products are exempt from vehicle tolls, and improve the applicable product range based on actual conditions. Effectively regulate charging behaviors in the circulation field, such as agricultural product market fees and retailer-supplier transaction fees. Deepen the special cleanup of toll roads, resolutely eliminate all illegal and unreasonable charges, and reduce excessively high toll standards. Strictly approve toll projects for first-level and below roads and independent bridges and tunnels. According to the principle of gradual and orderly progress, accelerate the work progress of canceling government loan repayment tolls on secondary roads in western provinces designated by the state.
　4. Safeguard Measures
　(16) Improve the legal and regulatory system and standards system in the circulation field. Promote the formulation and revision of laws and regulations in the circulation field to elevate the level of circulation legislation. Expedite the revision of the management measures for scrapped vehicle recycling, actively promote the amendment of laws such as the Trademark Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law, Advertising Law, and Consumer Rights Protection Law, and study and formulate administrative regulations on pawn management, commercial outlet management, and agricultural product wholesale market management. Thoroughly clean up and abolish regulations that hinder fair competition, set administrative barriers, or exclude out-of-town products and services from entering the local market. Actively improve the circulation standardization system and increase efforts in the formulation, implementation, and promotion of circulation standards.
　(17) Improve the statistical and monitoring system. Accelerate the establishment of a nationwide unified, scientific, and standardized circulation statistical survey system and information sharing mechanism, continuously improving the quality of circulation statistical data and work level. Strengthen the development and application of statistical data in key circulation areas such as retail, e-commerce, resident services, and production materials circulation, enhancing the ability to serve macro-control and enterprise development. Expand the coverage of the urban and rural market monitoring system, optimize the structure of sample enterprises, promote intelligent development of information collection, ensure data authenticity, accuracy, and timeliness, and accelerate the transformation of monitoring information results.
　(18) Leverage the role of industry associations. Improve the operating mechanism of circulation industry associations, guide industry organizations to formulate industry norms and service requirements, and strengthen industry self-discipline and credit evaluation. Support industry associations in providing circulation enterprises with consulting services on law, policy, management, technology, market information, and talent training, promptly reflect industry demands, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.
　(19) Strengthen the construction of theoretical systems, talent teams, and grassroots institutions. Deepen theoretical and major topic research in the circulation field, and improve the theoretical and policy research system for the development of China's modern circulation industry. Vigorously cultivate circulation professionals, accelerate the formation of a mechanism for joint talent training among universities, research institutes, departments, and industry enterprises, actively carry out vocational education and training, and improve the quality of circulation professional talent cultivation. Strengthen the cadre team construction, enhance grassroots cadres' service awareness and regulatory law enforcement capabilities. Strengthen the construction of grassroots circulation management departments, reinforce frontline forces, and ensure smooth and effective grassroots circulation management work.
　(20) Strengthen organizational leadership. Relevant departments of the State Council and local people's governments at all levels should attach great importance to accelerating the reform and development of the circulation industry, effectively strengthen organizational leadership, promptly formulate specific implementation plans according to requirements, improve and refine policy measures, and ensure the implementation of all tasks. Establish a national inter-ministerial coordination mechanism for circulation work led by the Ministry of Commerce, strengthen coordination, guidance, and supervision of circulation work, and promptly study and resolve major issues in the development of the circulation industry. Localities should regard accelerating the reform and development of the circulation industry as an important means to adjust structure, transform methods, and benefit people's livelihood, improve supporting policies and regulatory measures, ensure funds needed for the reform and development of the circulation industry, and promote the sustained and healthy development of the circulation industry.