New guidelines unveiled to innovate telecom management, improve business environment: MIIT

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) unveiled new guidelines on Tuesday, vowing to strengthen the innovation of telecom management and aiming to further improve the business environment, and stimulating the vitality of the digital economy. Addressing the concerns of enterprises and the market, the guidelines cover reform and innovation comprehensively across the four dimensions of market access, competition, regulation, and service for the purpose of optimize the business environment in the information and communication sector.

Aiming to improve market access management, the guidelines propose to achieve "one-time application, one-stop approval" for new technologies and applications across various telecom services.

Additionally, the guidelines encourage to expand the opening up of telecom services in pilot areas, further opening up value-added telecom services to foreign investment, and allowing more private-capital involvement in this sector.

"The reform of the second-category value-added telecom services implemented in the free trade zone has now been extended to 21 regions where free trade zones and free trade ports are located. Additionally, measures such as shortening approval time have been taken. According to our research, the approval time for some administrative licenses can be reduced by over 70 percent," said Luo Luojia, deputy director of the Regulatory Department, Policy and Economic Research Institute, China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

According to the guidelines, the MIIT will promote flexible regulatory approaches including giving administrative guidance and holding admonition talks, so that routine supervision and inspection would least affect business operations.

The number of telecommunication and internet enterprises in China has reached 169,000, with over 92 percent being privately held enterprises. Also, the number of foreign-invested telecommunication enterprises has increased by over 35 percent year on year, according to data from the MIIT.

"The continuous optimization of the entire process of market access has led to the rapid growth of market entities in the information communication sector. By the end of 2023, the total number of information and communication enterprises had exceeded 160,000," Luo said.

New guidelines unveiled to innovate telecom management, improve business environment: MIIT

A bell-ringing ceremony was held to mark the 93rd anniversary of the September 18 Incident in front of a monument at the September 18 Incident History Museum in Shenyang City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, on Wednesday.

It was on this fateful day in 1931 when Japanese troops blew up a section of the railway near Shenyang under their control, and accused Chinese troops of sabotage as a pretext for subsequent aggression against China.

Representatives of people from all walks of life struck a bell 14 times, symbolizing the 14 years of fight against Japanese aggressors by the Chinese people. The bell was cast with the words "Never forget national humiliation".

At 09:18, 14 cities in Liaoning sounded air raid sirens for three minutes, while vehicles came to a halt and honked their horns, and citizens were standing in silent tribute to mark this dark chapter in history. Ships and trains also sounded their sirens.

For years, China has kept marking the September 18 Incident.

The incident sparked Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The 1931-1945 Japanese invasion caused more than 35 million casualties among Chinese troops and civilians, accounting for one third of the WWII casualties worldwide.

During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, China fought with two-thirds of Japan's army, making a major contribution to the allied victory in WWII.

China holds ceremony to mark 93rd anniversary of Sept 18 Incident