“China will， as always， firmly support Europes integration process. A united， stable and prosperous Europe is in the interest of the world and of China. The growth of mutually beneficial business ties between China and Europe will not only bring enefits to both sides； it will also create brighter prospects for China-Europe relations. This should be a win-win endeavor.”

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said in the article he wrote for The Telegraph on the 16th China-EU Summit， which launched negotiations for a China-EU investment agreement and set the goal of bringing China-EU trade to US $1 trillion by 2020.

The premier said that Chinas modernization program will create historic opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two billion people of China and Europe， including those in the U.K.

“I hope that by advancing and extending our bilateral trade， by working together on the global issues that affect us all and by maintaining an honest and open dialogue， my visit to China can plant the seeds of a long-term relationship that will benefit China， Britain and the world for generations to come.”

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron said in the article he wrote for the Chinese weekly news magazine Caixin prior to his visit to China from December 2 to 4， 2013.

Mr. Cameron said he wanted to show that an open Britain is the ideal partner for an opening China. He added， “Building on the recent launch of EU-China negotiations on investment， and on Chinas continued commitment to economic reform， I now want to set a new long-term goal of an ambitious and comprehensive EU-China Free Trade Agreement.”

China Business Focus

Issue No. 11， 2013， published Nov. 5， 2013

Visiting the Shanghai Free Trade Area （FTA）

Reporters from China Business Focus recently got to observe how the comprehensive services hall of the Shanghai FTA management committee copes with overwhelming crowds. The management committee set up the first floor for registration and certification and the second floor for information. There are 29 counters on the first floor， to register company names， receive documents， or grant certification. Ropes divide each counters area， and visitors are called by number. On the other side of the hall is a line of computers， on which visitors can check the relevant policies and procedures.

To accommodate the large number of visitors requesting information， the management committee set up a second-floor office as temporary information room. People line up and sit outside， waiting to be called in for consultation. The management committee has also organized lectures on policies in such sectors as industry and commerce， foreign trade， finance and taxation， at 10 a.m.， 2 p.m. and 3： 30 p.m. every day in a meeting room on the second floor. Each lecture lasts for about one hour， including Q&A time.

Currently the most important and practical changes in the Shanghai FTA involve the following： canceling the limit on the minimum registration capital for companies； changing from a paid-up capital system to a subscribed capital system； and the establishment of the “first business license and then business permit” industrial and commercial registration system， meaning that a newly opened company first receives a business license， and later applies for a business permit. These pragmatic policies make it easier to start a business， and serve as an incentive for investors to register companies with the FTA.