Part of the goods import tariff adjustment, foreign investment law officially implemented, 70 new drugs into the medical insurance catalog ......2020 January 1, a number of new regulations formally implemented, affecting many aspects of people's production and life.
■ Part of the commodity import tariff adjustment
Approved by the State Council, the State Council Customs Tariff Commission recently issued a notice, since January 1, 2020, to adjust the import tariffs of some commodities.
In order to better meet the needs of people's lives and moderately increase imports of daily consumer goods that are in relative short supply domestically or have foreign characteristics, China will add or reduce the temporary import tariff rates for frozen pork, frozen avocados, non-frozen orange juice and other commodities.
In order to reduce the cost of medicines and promote the production of new medicines, China will implement zero tariffs on alkaloid medicines used to treat asthma and raw materials used to produce new diabetes treatment medicines.
In order to expand the import of advanced technology, equipment and parts, and support the development of high-tech industries, China will add or reduce the semiconductor detection and sorting and taping machines, high-pressure turbine clearance control valves and other commodities import provisional tariff rates.
■ Foreign Investment Law formally implemented
On March 15, 2019, the second session of the 13th National People's Congress voted to adopt the Chinese People's **** and the State's Foreign Investment Law, which has been formally implemented since January 1, 2020. The Foreign Investment Law is an important improvement and innovation to China's foreign investment legal system, and is a new fundamental law in the field of foreign investment.
The foreign investment law restructures China's foreign investment management system based on the full implementation of the pre-entry national treatment plus negative list management system. According to Cui Fan, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), "The implementation of the pre-access national treatment plus negative list management system for foreign investment reflects the principle of consistency between domestic and foreign investment, and will allow China to achieve a higher level of investment liberalization and facilitation."
There are many other highlights in the foreign investment law, such as the protection of intellectual property rights of foreign investors and foreign-invested enterprises, and the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of intellectual property rights holders and related rights holders; the establishment of a sound foreign investment service system; and the establishment of a foreign investment information reporting system.
■ 70 new drugs into the medical insurance catalog
The State Medical Insurance Bureau and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently announced the 2019 National Basic Medical Insurance, Workers' Compensation Insurance and Maternity Insurance Drug Catalog, the new version of the catalog on January 1, 2020 officially launched.
70 new and 27 renewed drugs,*** counting 97 drugs were negotiated into the medical insurance catalog, with an average price reduction of 60.7% and 26.4%.
After the current round of adjustment, the structure of medicines in the medical insurance catalog has been significantly optimized. A number of highly recognized, newly listed drugs with high clinical value have been transferred to the catalog, and the ability to protect drugs for cancer, rare diseases, chronic diseases and children's drugs has been significantly improved.
The cost of medicines has been significantly reduced. By playing the role of "strategic buyer" of the medical insurance department, the quantity-for-price exchange has pushed down the cost of medicines significantly, and a number of globally recognized "expensive drugs" have been offered at "common prices", while imported medicines have basically been offered at the lowest prices in the world. Imported drugs are basically given the lowest price in the world. Conservative estimates, through the negotiation of price reductions and health insurance reimbursement, the overall personal burden of patients will be reduced to less than 20% of the original, individual drugs down to less than 5%.
The new version of the catalog highlights the encouragement of innovation, and eight of the 12 major domestic innovative drugs were negotiated. The vast majority of drugs successfully negotiated this time are new drugs that have been on the market in recent years.
■ Newly amended land management law comes into force
On August 26, 2019, the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) deliberated and passed the amendment to the Land Management Law of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which will come into force on January 1, 2020, accordingly.
The amendment to the Land Management Law adheres to the unshakeable public ownership of land, the unimpaired interests of peasants, and the most stringent system of protecting arable land and the most stringent system of saving and intensifying land use.
The newly revised land management law focuses on the following five aspects: first, clarifying that the competent agricultural and rural authorities are responsible for the reform and management of homesteads; second, allowing the direct market entry of collective operational construction land; third, standardizing the land acquisition process; fourth, reinforcing the protection of permanent basic farmland; and fifth, guaranteeing land for the development of rural industries