To thoroughly implement the decisions and arrangements made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council and carry out the requirements stipulated in the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Facilitate Payments (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions), the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality jointly held a meeting on optimizing payment services on March 28, aiming to strengthen coordination and cooperation among all departments, districts and financial institutions in Beijing, and guide and urge them to intensify their efforts to further optimize payment services. Zhang Qingsong, PBOC Deputy Governor and Jin Wei, Vice Mayor of Beijing Municipality attended and addressed the meeting.
It was stressed at the meeting that the CPC Central Committee and the State Council attach great importance to payment facilitation. On March 7, the General Office of the State Council officially issued the Opinions to make institutional arrangements for the work in this regard. On March 25, the General Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality issued the Action Plan of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality on Further Optimizing Payment Services to Facilitate Payments (hereinafter referred to as the Action Plan), which focuses on key tasks, strengthens cross-departmental collaboration, and specifies the timetable and roadmap, thus effectively advancing the implementation of various tasks in a refined manner. The release of the Action Plan has provided robust support for the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality to coordinate the efforts of all parties to facilitate payments in key business districts and key venues.
It was noted at the meeting that Beijing’s strategic role as the “Four Centers” is empowered by the CPC Central Committee. As the capital and the “Dual Olympic City”, Beijing provides convenient, safe and diversified payment services of the first-class standard for senior citizens, overseas visitors to Beijing and other groups, which has a bearing on the people’s livelihood and the image of our country. With great efforts made by the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport have accelerated the development of payment service demonstration zones for overseas guests, giving play to the effect of “based at the airports, facing Beijing and radiating the country”, which has delivered remarkable results.
It was required at the meeting that the PBOC Beijing Municipal Branch and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Regulation should earnestly shoulder the overall responsibility of taking the lead to further deepen cooperation with various departments and districts in Beijing. They are required to guide and urge financial institutions in Beijing to fully advance the optimization of payment services in this city in accordance with the requirements of the Action Plan by increasing the input of resources, accelerating the implementation of various tasks, and building a diversified payment service system as soon as possible in which multiple modes of payment can achieve parallel and mutually complementary development.
Attendees included officials from PBOC Payment and Settlement Department, Currency, Gold and Silver Bureau and Beijing Municipal Branch, representatives from Beijing Municipal Bureau of Local Financial Regulation, Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, all district governments of Beijing and the Administrative Committee of Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area, and heads of some commercial banks, payment institutions and clearing institutions in Beijing.
