Improved efficiency brings Jiangsu city great benefits

In Jiangyin, a county-level city in Jiangsu province, a company can now register and start operations within two working days.

People in the city can now get ownership certificates for real estate within four working days and licenses for construction within 40 working days-two ways the city has become one of China's most economically competitive counties.

"It took my company only 15 working days to get a license for construction," said Jin Ming, who works for Huaxia Construction Engineering Company.

"It was about seven days faster than before, and we just needed to go to the Jiangyin Government Service Center to finish the whole procedure.

"It greatly improved efficiency and saved us time," he said.

Jiangyin has made remarkable achievements. Its GDP in 2018 reached 380 billion yuan ($53.7 billion) with a year-on-year increase of 7.4 percent.

With an area of 987 square kilometers and a population of less than 3 million, the city has 11 of China's top 500 enterprises, 48 listed companies and 54 listed on China's National Equities Exchange and Quotations, also known as the "new third board".

Jiangyin ranked second among China's 100 strongest counties in 2019 in measures such as the economy, environment and incomes, according to a list recently released by CCID Consulting Group, a scientific research institution directly attached to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Its constant reforms in economy, culture and environment have further improved the local economy, social development and people's well-being.

In 2017, Jiangyin became the province's first pilot county-level city of "integrated reforms", which aimed to establish efficient government services, powerful social assistance and a convenient living environment.

Jiangsu province and the city of Wuxi, which has jurisdiction over Jiangyin, have allowed the county-level city to simplify procedures for businesses and residents and complete social work procedures on its own.

Chen Jinhu, Party secretary of Jiangyin, said that the reforms have improved people's well-being as well as the business and living environments.

"We're striving to establish a city with the fewest matters needing to be approved by government, the highest efficiency and the best investment environment," he said. "The per capita disposable income of Jiangyin's rural residents has ranked first in the province for 19 consecutive years."

"We have also made specific plans to improve problems that affect people's lives, including education, medical services and culture."

For example, by June, 208 villages in the city, benefiting more than 138,000 people, have been covered by its village-level medical insurance system.

Also, by using an app called Zui Jiangyin, residents can more easily perform certain tasks, including paying water bills and applying for certificates and patent registration.