A ship sails from the bustling Xiamen Port (CFP)

Xiamen, a coastal city in southeast China's Fujian Province, is proud of its marine entrepreneurial spirit. Since Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the construction of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road during his visit to Indonesia in October 2013, the city has committed to building an exemplary industrial hub along the modern economic belt.

"The city has an edge in terms of geographical location, financial and technological strengths, as well as an abundance of talent to this end," said Ni Chao, Vice Mayor of Xiamen. He noted that in 2013, the output of the city's marine economy amounted to 185.7 billion yuan ($30.3 billion), a year-on-year increase of 13 percent, taking up 22.9 percent of Fujian Province's total.

Unlike other Chinese coastal cities that boast long historical connections with the ancient Maritime Silk Road or being the origin of the route, Xiamen prefers to focus on the future. Based on the favorable conditions mentioned by Ni, the city has reinforced efforts to move closer to its goal by improving government service, building up a transportation network covering the land, sea and air, as well as developing a marine economy.

Business environment

In early 2014, the Strategic Plan on Building a Beautiful Xiamen was approved by the Standing Committee of Xiamen Municipal People's Congress and put into effect. With the initiative, the government has rolled out measures to streamline the administrative approvals to better serve businesses.

Xiamen has taken the lead in reforming the business registration system. Instead of acquiring various administrative approvals before registration, enterprises could firstly receive their license and start a business under the new ruling. "This creates a more favorable investment environment and encourages entrepreneurship, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises," said Gao Hongwei, director of the Department of Enterprise Registration with Xiamen Administration for Industry and Commerce. Foreign investment in sectors in Xiamen that are encouraged by the Central Government can also apply the streamlined rule.