The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (SHFTZ) launched a "model company" selection campaign in March 2017, aiming to highlight its innovation and reform achievements over the past years. The six-month long event invited more than 80,000 SHFTZ-registered companies to sign up via self-recommendation or via recommendation from others.

After publication, application, on-site inspection, experts' voting and online voting, the campaign selected the top 10 model companies and six sample enterprises, covering foreign-funded, State-owned and private companies, which served as examples of successfully utilizing SHFTZ's innovative measures to enhance growth and development.

In addition, the SHFTZ has compiled a case book of first model companies for its policy innovation, with the hope of encouraging more companies to turn the Zone's innovative measures and preferential policies into their own advantages and growth points.

About Anchor Center for R&D and Certification (Shanghai)

Anchor Center for R&D and Certification Shanghai (ACC Shanghai) is a foreign invested third party lab with exclusive authorization from US food quality certification firm Anchor Center for Certification (ACC) to implement food quality standards in China.

Established in China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone (SHFTZ) in 2015, it specializes in detection technology R & D and technical consulting of food and edible agricultural products, transfer of independent R & D results, testing and certification of food and edible agricultural products.

As the first foreign certification agency registered in the SHFTZ since the zone's expansion in 2015, ACC Shanghai serves as a typical case in policy innovation, further opening-up of the service industry and reform of administrative approval. Without the SHFTZ, ACC would have struggled to enter the Chinese market.

In 2014, the SHFTZ took a big step in a new round of reforms, issuing 31 new measures for opening-up. Based on the measures, some restrictions were removed for foreign-funded companies engaging in import and export goods certification. Those companies used to require more than 10 full-duty staff professional in certification, accreditation from an authorized institution of the country where the foreign investor bases, and over three years of experiences of certification services.

Moreover, the SHFTZ has taken measures to reform the administrative approval procedures and follow the new opening-up model that combines pre-establishment national treatment and a negative list. The negative list model adopted at the SHFTZ is basically a blacklist defining sectors and businesses that are off limit to foreign investment.

The zone has also adopted a record system for foreign investment projects that is excluded from the negative list. Meanwhile, foreign certification firms are allowed to apply for company registration first and obtain accreditation from authorized institutions later, which has greatly shortened the time for foreign companies to establish certification agencies in China.

ACC Shanghai received its business license within 15 days. The company attributed the smooth process to the negative list for investment management, which scrapped requirements for foreign certification firms like ACC, and simplified approval procedures. The improved efficiency is beneficial for ACC Shanghai to expand business in China and it also helps raise China's food testing and certification level.