Choir members from Utah Valley University try their hand at paper-cutting in front of Zhenhai Tower during a cultural experience tour of Fuzhou. LIN SHUANGWEI/FOR CHINA DAILY

Fuzhou has emerged as a model for business environment reform, introducing more than 1,100 reform measures since 2018 to boost efficiency and attract investment.

"The city's departments at all levels must prioritize recognizing the situation and problems, implement targeted measures to address weaknesses, bridge gaps, and develop Fuzhou into a national model city for business environment," he emphasized.

To this end, 13 special working groups were established, with the aim of strengthening interdepartmental collaboration and implementing the measures.

To streamline and enhance the efficiency of administrative services, the city has integrated the services of different departments and launched 34 "one-stop" service packages.

These involve the key needs throughout a person's life, from birth and education to housing and retirement, as well as the full business cycle for enterprises, from startup to closure, according to the Fuzhou government service center.

Instead of repetitive material submissions and manual reviews, the procedures can be completed either through a one-stop window for offline processing or via a single platform online.

Previously, people who applied to start an off-campus training institution had to complete two separate approval procedures.

Now the two steps have been combined into a single review process jointly handled by two authorities through the online system, said a staff member from the center. An approval can be granted within a day, in contrast to one week in the past.

Under the streamlined service model, the number of required documents has been reduced by 68.1 percent and the approval time has been shortened by 63.9 percent, said the center.

In addition, administrative service subcenters or agencies have been set up in 24 industrial parks across the city, bringing convenience and efficiency to enterprises, while enhancing enterprise-government connections.

Local authorities have also built 52 city-level business climate monitoring stations. They employ 82 corporate leaders and employees as business service experience officers, in order to gather real-time feedback from enterprises and offer customized support.

Official figures showed that a total of 687 industrial projects were launched in Fuzhou in 2024, with a combined investment of 303.3 billion yuan ($42.22 billion).

Among these is the global export base project from Fuyao Group, one of China's leading auto glass producers.

In January 2024, the group signed an agreement with the city government of Fuqing, a county-level city of Fuzhou, to build a 41.8-hectare production base at the Fuqing Rongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone. "What we emphasize are not only its location and facilities, but the business environment," a project manager said.

With support from the development zone and departments at all levels, the main factory was built in nine months, much faster than anticipated, the manager said.

Featuring photovoltaic and wind energy systems, the project is expected to establish a zero-carbon smart plant that can produce 4 million sets of auto glass every year, according to Fuyao Group.