MIIT Issues Guidelines for SME Cluster Development
On July 23, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a set of guidelines aimed at creating geographical clusters of small and medium sized enterprises across China. The policy, officially called the Guiding Opinions on Further Promoting the Cluster Development of SMEs, is comprised of seven detailed initiatives and principles:
- Strengthen policy planning to promote SMEs - support special SME zones with preferential government policy, including policies to help SMEs comply with environmental regulations
- Select 2-3 strong SMEs in each zone to drive development and innovation
- Enhance the brands of regional SME zones, helping drive further consolidation in designated areas - making use of leading companies, industry associations, technical groups
- Support IT development in SME zones, including cloud computing, big data deployment, Internet of Things, and other key areas in the Internet Plus Action Plan
- Drive innovation in SME zones by creating partnerships and networks between industry and academic institutions; support the use of modern national and international standards; and create modern IP support platforms
- Enhance public service platforms - leverage government procurement, financial support and incentives to advance development; support the cultivation of human capital; leverage industry associations and alliances
- Introduce local government policies that benefit SME development
The same day that the Guiding Opinions were released, MIIT also published an interview with their SME division director, Zheng Xin, who linked the SME development with the national-level "China Manufacturing 2025" plan, which was released on May 19, 2015.
