Beijing has taken significant strides to enhance its business environment, implementing over 250 reform measures this year to simplify processes and improve services for businesses and individuals. The city's efforts have bolstered the entrepreneurial spirit, with 287,000 new business entities registered in 2024, averaging nearly 800 establishments daily. Among these, high-value, specialized small- and medium-sized enterprises now total 9,786.

A prime example of the reform’s impact can be seen in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA), where Starbucks recently obtained the licenses to open a branch in Xiong’an New Area within just three working days. This was made possible by a collaborative agreement between administrative bodies in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei that streamlines cross-provincial processes and recognizes qualifications across regions. The coordinated efforts have enabled 230 administrative services to align in standards across the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, with 209 professional qualifications mutually recognized. 

On the national level, Beijing has advanced the construction of a unified market. The city led the nation in allowing the registration process of foreign companies to be conducted entirely online. Besides, 95% of the city’s businesses were established online, and the use of digital business licenses reached 1.9 billion times, a national record. The city also achieved significant growth in loans issued to small businesses and entrepreneurs, with entrepreneurship guarantee loans increasing 79.6% year over year.

Beijing's "High-Efficiency One-Matter Processing" initiative has redefined service delivery for both residents and businesses. By integrating formerly dispersed administrative procedures into single streamlined processes, tasks such as hosting major events, construction project approvals, and personal milestones like births and school admissions have become markedly simpler. These reforms have reduced processing times by 61.4% and cut required application materials by over 56%. To date, 106 such service scenarios have been introduced.

Regulatory improvements have also contributed to a more favorable environment. The city has implemented non-disruptive inspections, reducing unnecessary checks for low-risk, compliant businesses. This approach has been bolstered by technology, with 38.6% of inspections conducted remotely and 950 enforcement entities adopting digital tools for oversight. Flexible enforcement policies have saved businesses nearly 10 billion yuan (US$1.37 billion) in waived fines since 2020, demonstrating the city’s commitment to promoting fair and sensible regulations.

Looking ahead, Beijing aims to build on its progress by aligning with international benchmarks like the World Bank’s business environment assessments. According to a municipal official, the city seeks to combine top-down initiatives with grassroots efforts, so as to further refine its services, and foster an environment where businesses can thrive and individuals can enjoy a higher quality of life.

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