Dezhou launches 2026 ＂leading bodies＂ business environment projects: 26 reform measures to cut costs, boost efficiency

On March 5, the Information Office of Dezhou Municipal People's Government held the first press conference in a series themed Continuous Optimization of the Business Environment. Zhao Jigang, the Standing Committee Member of the CPC Dezhou Municipal Committee and Senior Deputy Mayor, together with leading officials from Dezhou Development and Reform Commission, Dezhou Municipal Finance Bureau, and other departments, was invited to introduce the planning of the 2026 leading bodies business environment initiative.

In 2026, on the basis of soliciting opinions and suggestions from more than 290 enterprises, 46 departments and units, and 12 counties (cities, districts), Dezhou has identified 26 annual "leading bodies" business environment projects, involving 24 departments and units, including 19 reform and innovation projects and 7 consolidation and improvement projects. These projects pay more attention to creating an industrial environment with concentrated factors, an efficient and convenient government service environment, and a fair and transparent legal environment.

In terms of reducing enterprise operating costs, the Dezhou Development and Reform Commission has launched the "multi-department joint review" reform for the natural gas direct supply pilot project. It has clarified three paths for implementing natural gas direct supply: existing pipeline transmission, self-built pipelines, and co-built pipelines, and established a multi-department joint review and cross-industry expert review mechanism. The project handling time will be reduced by 50%, and enterprises' natural gas procurement costs can be reduced by 0.3 to 0.5 yuan per cubic meter. Meanwhile, multiple measures will be taken to lower corporate electricity costs. Policies will be introduced to support industrial enterprises in developing photovoltaic projects on idle rooftops. A total of 111 distribution network capacity-increasing and renovation projects will be implemented, and qualified counties, cities and districts will be supported in piloting virtual power plants and source-grid-load-storage projects. The Huaneng Power Plant surplus industrial steam transmission project has been successfully launched, with a total investment of over 2 billion yuan. It plans a "two pipelines, six parks, multiple points" integrated steam supply network. Enterprises in industrial parks in 5 counties and districts, including Decheng, Lingcheng, Pingyuan, Wucheng, and Tianqu New District, will benefit from low-cost steam.

In the digital transformation of government services, Dezhou Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau will launch the reform of "intelligent review and fast processing" for EIA and pollutant discharge permits. Artificial intelligence will be introduced to realize one-hour intelligent preliminary screening of application materials for pollutant discharge permits, and a human-machine collaborative review process will be established. The Dezhou Municipal Bureau of Administrative Services will establish a "tag-based" management model for engineering construction projects, further improving the pre-filling accuracy and first-application success rate for enterprises and the public, and promoting the transformation of government services from a labor-intensive model to a human-computer interaction model. The Dezhou Municipal Finance Bureau will build a government procurement platform featuring digitalized procedures, intelligent supervision, and ecological services. It will fully implement remote and decentralized review, enabling enterprises to handle affairs without physical visits and experts to conduct reviews without face-to-face meetings.

In terms of supporting the development of the private economy, Dezhou will accelerate the promulgation of regulations on the promotion of the private economy, conduct regular screening and removal of market access barriers, and resolutely abolish unreasonable restrictions on private enterprises in terms of qualifications, performance, and branch establishment. Remote bid evaluation and blind evaluation will be fully implemented. The Dezhou Development and Reform Commission will establish a closed-loop resolution mechanism for handling problems and demands raised in special private enterprise service campaigns, covering five systems: demand collection at the source, hierarchical assignment, collective consultation, upgraded tackling of difficult issues, and review and optimization. This will achieve 100% acceptance of enterprise demands and 100% settlement of reasonable demands. We will deepen the debt-equity combination financing for key projects. Every quarter, we will sort out and summarize the financing needs of policy-funded projects, provincial, municipal, and county-level key projects, and private investment projects, and organize regular bank-enterprise matchmaking events.

In terms of legal protection, rule-of-law projects account for 27% of the total this year. The Supervisory Commission of the CPC Dezhou Commission for Discipline Inspection will launch the "honest style protecting enterprises" special campaign, focusing on the implementation of policies benefiting enterprises and administrative law enforcement involving enterprises to continuously safeguard and improve the business environment. The Dezhou Administration for Market Regulation will introduce a non-intrusive supervision model under the "double random, one publicity" oversight system, reducing disruptions to enterprises while ensuring effective regulation.