Shanghai's continued efforts to integrate government services and improve efficiency will enhance its appeal to market entities at home and abroad while supporting the city's high-quality development, officials and business executives said.

The municipal government recently unveiled an action plan containing 26 measures aimed at deepening the integration of government services across administrative departments and districts. The city's services should be "as accessible as shopping online", Zhang Xiong, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai municipal government, said at a recent news conference.

The action plan seeks to improve the delivery of preferential policies for enterprises. Fiscal support measures for designated industries and companies will be designed to allow eligible firms to benefit directly without submitting applications.

A total of 826 preferential policies at the municipal and district levels now feature automatic qualification, benefiting enterprises more than 7.06 million times. Nearly half of all municipal-level preferential policies introduced so far are accessible without application, said Zhou Xiaoyan, deputy director of the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government.

The city has also streamlined procedures for opening new stores. The process, which previously involved more than 10 steps, including renovation project filings and waste disposal approvals, has been significantly simplified. Restaurants and flower shops can now complete business approval procedures within two weeks, and in some cases as quickly as one day.

"This not only preserves the bustling atmosphere of the city but also safeguards the entrepreneurial spirit of store owners," Zhou said.

Xu Jie, finance director of Shanghai Hydrogen Propulsion Technology Co, said integrated government service platforms have transformed the way businesses access policy support.

"Companies previously had to search for suitable policies themselves, which was time-consuming," Xu said. "The automatic application model makes government support directly available and greatly facilitates business expansion."

Promoting innovation is another key objective of Shanghai's action plan.

The Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality will soon release a list detailing the capabilities of the city's proof-of-concept platforms and provide information on smart tools, said Zhai Jinguo, the commission's deputy director.

The municipal government began issuing technology innovation coupons under the automatic application model on Sept 1. Each qualified technology company receives a 300,000-yuan ($44,356) coupon to purchase designated technology services.

"When using the coupons, technology service providers are also listed on the government platform, allowing us to compare prices easily," said Wang Jingfang, founder and chairman of Shanghai Merna Therapeutics.

The action plans also prioritize a higher level of internationalization.

Additional preferential and tailored measures will be introduced. International Services Shanghai, the one-stop platform for foreigners launched in early 2024, will expand its service offerings.

Over the past few years, Shanghai has introduced a range of policies to facilitate cross-border travel, including pilot electronic port visas, first launched in the city in July 2024, and on-the-go tax refunds for overseas tourists introduced late last year.

Since the beginning of this year, financial and shipping professionals have become eligible for Shanghai's preferential talent policy covering frequent travel between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, said Qiu Ling, head of the Exit-Entry Administration Corps of the Shanghai Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Qualified executives in the two industries may apply for talent endorsements valid for one year, allowing multiple entries and stays of up to 30 days per visit, she said.

shijing@chinadaily.com.cn