Bai Changjun's mobile phone is on 24 hours a day. He is a police officer with the Police-Enterprise Liaison Office at the Wusu Industrial Park in Wusu City, Tacheng Prefecture.

The liaison office was set up to foster stronger police-enterprise relationships and improve the efficiency of police work. It serves the 85 enterprises in the industrial park and officers regularly visit the employees, mediating workplace conflicts and carrying out other duties to maintain order. Over the past two years, Xinjiang has established 110 such Police-Enterprise Liaison Offices and they have resolved over 500 enterprise-related disputes. 

These offices are part of Xinjiang's efforts in fostering a law-based business environment. The rule of law is central to the business environment. In recent years, Xinjiang has embarked on a journey to fortify its legal structure, combat crimes, refine judicial processes and embrace international legal cooperation. The results of such measures are not just statistics on a page, but also the confidence of enterprises in a secure environment for growth.

More efficient services 

Xinjiang has enacted regulations to foster business-friendly environment, such as the 50 measures to optimize the law-based business environment, released in February 2023, and the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) Regulations, released this June to establish a comprehensive legal framework for the operation and development of the FTZ. It also conducted a massive regulatory review, repealing or revising outdated administrative documents to eliminate market barriers.

As a result, administration has been streamlined, powers are being delegated, and services have been enhanced. "Immediate processing, online processing and one-stop processing" of service applications are now standard for government services.

The Xinjiang Micro-Police platform, developed by the region's public security organs, offers "one-stop online processing" of requests for 121 services. Fifteen frequently requested services, such as issuing temporary identity documents, can now be delivered in under 60 seconds.

Traffic management services have become more intelligent and efficient. To better serve enterprises, traffic management departments have introduced on-site vehicle inspection and registration services, benefiting public transportation as well as cab services.

Agricultural and related products, as well as energy and mineral resources now benefit from a "green channel" for customs clearance. The time for railway port inspections has been reduced from 40 minutes to under 20 minutes. At the Urumqi Tianshan International Airport, the average pre-inspection waiting time for inbound and outbound cargo flights has been shortened by 35 minutes.

The region is prioritizing the creation of an inclusive and prudent law enforcement environment. Law enforcement agencies are following the principles of restraint, caution, civility and goodwill, which means business entities enjoy greater legal leniency.

Currently, the region has announced 355 categories of violations will not incur penalties and 117 categories will be given lighter penalties.

The Gaochang District People's Court in Turpan City sets an example for how to protect people's rights while preserving the viability of struggling businesses.

A raisin processing company rented premises for its factory. Initially, business was good and the company paid the rent in time. But unforeseen circumstances led to a sharp decline in business and it is unable to pay the rent; by 2021, it had accrued three years of unpaid rent and interest, totaling 480,000 yuan ($67,660).

The landlord filed a litigation to claim the rent and the Gaochang District People's Court ordered the company to pay up within 10 days. However, the company failed to comply, prompting the landlord to seek enforcement.

Upon initiating enforcement proceedings, the company's assets were examined and it was found to have no executable assets. Recognizing the company's contribution to local raisin sales and brand promotion, and its potential for revitalization through restructuring, the judge took a balanced approach, communicating extensively with the landlord while simultaneously urging the company to pay up.

Ultimately, the landlord was convinced by the judge and agreed to an extension for the rent payment. Earlier this year, the company successfully raised funds by selling some of its old equipment and used part of the money to pay the landlord.

Protecting IPR

Xinjiang is cracking down on activities that undermine the business environment and infringe upon intellectual property rights (IPR) to ensure a fair and secure ecosystem for businesses and innovators. This robust support is nurturing new quality productive forces—the tools for innovation-driven growth, technological advancement and high-quality development. 

Judicial protection of IPR is crucial for fostering innovation and the development of new quality productive forces. To address persistent challenges such as the difficulty in safeguarding IPR and lengthy legal proceedings, procuratorates are exploring ways to help rights holders initiate lawsuits and speed up the proceedings.

The Urumqi Municipal People's Procuratorate, for example, successfully prosecuted a telecommunications company for selling counterfeit fiber optic communication equipment. The company had knowingly sourced and sold used, reassembled products of a specific brand online, making illegal profits exceeding 26 million yuan ($3.7 million).

During the proceedings, the procuratorate facilitated an infringement settlement, enabling the party holding the IPR of the brand to recover over 18 million yuan ($2.5 million) and securing the protection of its legitimate rights.

Promoting opening up 

As the Belt and Road Initiative continues to expand, Xinjiang is developing a legal system aligned with international standards to provide strong backing for high-level opening up. 

In alignment with the development requirements of the Xinjiang FTZ, a series of critical regulations have been enacted. According to the Regulations of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Optimizing Business Environment, enacted in October, foreign investment in Xinjiang is accorded the pre-establishment national treatment and managed by the negative list management model. China's Foreign Investment Law defines pre-establishment national treatment as the treatment given to foreign investors and their investments during the investment access stage, which is not less than that given to their domestic counterparts; negative list for foreign investment defines sectors restricted or prohibited for foreign investment.

If a foreign investor wants to invest in a sector that is on the negative list, making it out of bounds for foreigners, with the regional government's support, the investor can seek special authorization or a waiver if that aligns with the FTZ's development goals.

For sectors outside the list, foreign investors are treated at par with their domestic counterparts. No entity or individual can impose restrictions or discriminatory conditions for foreign investment.

These legislative efforts have been complemented by the Legal Service Zones being established in the FTZ. The Legal Service Zones in Urumqi, Kashi (Kashgar) and Huoerguosi (Horgos) have handled nearly 3,000 civil and commercial cases, and resolved arbitration disputes valued at more than 1.95 billion yuan ($274.8 million).

The transformation is particularly evident in Huoerguosi, a Belt and Road hub. The establishment of the People's Court of the Huoerguosi Area of the Xinjiang FTZ late last year has streamlined legal processes. 

For instance, the procedure for foreigners or foreign organizations to appoint Chinese lawyers—which previously took up to a month—can now be completed online in just half an hour.

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