Shenzhen will streamline its procedures for governmental approval of major investment projects in a bid to sharpen its competitive edge by speeding up project investment.

"The reform is an urgent demand from building Shenzhen into an efficient, harmonious and international city and an crucial way to improve the city's investment environment and competitiveness," Mayor Xu Zongheng was quoted by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily as saying yesterday in a meeting mobilizing related government departments.

According to the reform plan, the timeline for completing all procedures from submitting a proposal to obtaining a construction permit will be shortened to 120 working days from the original 316-386 working days for major government investment, while for non-government investment projects, the time required for government review will be reduced to 100 working days from 250-336 days before September.

The review and approval procedures for both kinds of projects have been divided into seven phases, each with clear definitions of the responsibilities of the government bureau reviewers and the time limit for handling.

From September, the time span required for handling government investment projects will also be reduced to 100 working days, according to the plan.

Shenzhen Supervision Bureau will start monitoring and supervising the implementation of the reform from March. It will also launch an evaluation of the new system in May.

During the next five years, major investment in projects is estimated to exceed 440 billion yuan (US$54.32 billion), among which the government projects will amount to 120 billion yuan. The projects including major industrial upgrades, urban infrastructure, and utilities were considered critical to the city's modernization in the coming five years.

The reform was initiated by the municipal CCPCC in last September, the Shenzhen Economic Daily reported yesterday.

(Shenzhen Daily February 16, 2006)