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Opinion / Op-Ed Contributors

Creating new dynamism through reform and innovation

By Li Keqiang (China Daily) Updated: 2014-09-12 07:24

I believe the key to realizing that is to further liberate our mind, further liberate and develop the creativity of society, further energize businesses and the market, and remove all institutional obstacles to development so that everyone interested in starting a business is given more space for entrepreneurship and the blood of innovation could flow unhampered in a society where everyone is full of the spirit of self-development. When reform and innovation fuels the massive wave of entrepreneurship by the people and at the grassroots level on the land of the 9.6 million square kilometers of China, the enormous power of the diligent and resourceful Chinese people will be fully unlocked and the engine driving China's sustained economic development will constantly regenerate itself and remain powerful.

China's effort to comprehensively deepen reform is an ongoing process. The government is taking the lead in conducting a "self-targeted revolution". Just like an arrow shot, there will be no turning back. We will deepen the reform in the administrative approval system. We hope to complete the task of removing and delegating items subject to government approval, originally planned for five years, in a shorter period of time. This is to unleash the potential of the market and the driving force for development. If streamlining administration and delegating power is like taking a proactive move in the chess game, then introducing new systems is like a "serial blast". On the one hand, we should provide the list of government powers which defines the scope of what the government should do. Items not found on the list will be deemed as not permissible. Only in this way could we prevent the abuse of government power, reduce rent-seeking and ensure that the government better performs its duty of serving the people. On the other, a negative list should be formulated which defines areas off-limits to businesses. Items not found on the list will be deemed as permissible. Only by so doing could we build open and transparent systematic arrangements with stable expectations and bring about enterprises' vitality to the fullest extent. Moreover, we should formulate a list of government responsibilities to define how the government should regulate the market. All items on the list should be fulfilled by the government. Only by so doing could we build and sustain a market environment that favors honest operations and fair play, energizes businesses and encourages innovation and creativity. The government should enhance ongoing and ex-post oversight and perform its role well both as a referee of the market order and as a guardian of reform and innovation. As a saying goes, only by weeding out the barnyard grass can rice grow properly. Being lenient to law breakers is tantamount to doing wrong to law abiding people. It could even result in "bad money driving out the good". We will mete out stringent punishment to companies, domestic or foreign, that are involved in producing counterfeit, fake and shoddy products, engaging in fraud and deception, and stealing trade secrets. Protecting intellectual property rights is in fact protecting the kindling of innovation and creativity and the rights and interests of innovators. We will penalize serious IPR infringement to the fullest extent in accordance with the law, including imposing heavy fines to make law breakers pay insufferable prices, so as to propel innovation.

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