Key Terms to Understand Reform and Opening Up

The China Academy of Translation has analyzed prevailing terms concerning the reform and opening-up policy and translated them into a number of foreign languages. The research institute is affiliated with the China International Publishing Group， the countrys leading international publisher. In each issue， Beijing Review presents a selection of these keywords to help readers more deeply understand this program.

Abolition of the Agricultural Tax

The agricultural tax was levied on an entity or individual engaged in and earning an income from agricultural production. It was offi cially rescinded on January 1， 2006， representing a historic change and the end to the 2，600-year-old system of taxation on farmers.

The abolition of the agricultural tax has contributed signifi -cantly to Chinas economic and social development. First， as the most direct benefi t， it has effectively eased the burden on farmers， enabling them to enjoy a bigger share of the fruits of reform and modernization， and feel rewarded in this process.

Second， it has led to a change in the local taxation structure， and put an end to unreasonable taxation practices， so as to better ensure equity and help improve the competitiveness of the agriculture sector.

Third， it has helped expand the coverage of government funding in rural areas， enabling it to cover the bulk of local expenses， including mandatory rural education outlays.

Fourth， it has greatly enhanced the purchasing power of the general public， especially farmers， and substantially contributed to increased domestic consumption.

Accelerating the FTZ Strategy

The Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Economic Cooperation between China and ASEAN was signed in November 2002. It was Chinas first free trade zone （FTZ） treaty that ushered in an FTZ era. The Communist Party of China （CPC） elevated the FTZ to a national strategy at its 17th National Congress in 2007， and at its 18th National Congress in 2012 decided to accelerate its execution.

In November 2015， the Central Steering Group for InDepth Reform at its 18th meeting reviewed and approved a document on accelerating the FTZ strategy. It set the overall requirements， principles， tasks， goals and the layout for FTZ construction， symbolizing the formation of Chinas theory on FTZs.

The overall goal of Chinas FTZ strategy is：

（1） accelerating the building of neighborhood FTZs with the aim of establishing FTZs with all neighboring countries， and improving economic and trade relations with the aim of building a huge market based on win-win cooperation；

（2） advancing the building of FTZs along the Belt and Road to create a huge market and turn the Belt and Road into a path to connectivity， commerce and trade， and openness；

（3） setting up a global FTZ network with the aim of building FTZs with most emerging economies， major developing countries， major regional economic blocs and some developed countries， and building markets shared by the BRICS（Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa）， emerging economies and developing countries.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

This refers to the city clusters that encompass Chinas two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao， and nine cities of neighboring south Chinas Guangdong Province： Dongguan， Foshan， Guangzhou， Huizhou， Jiangmen， Shenzhen， Zhaoqing， Zhongshan and Zhuhai. The gross economy of this greater bay area now ranks among those of the worlds top four bay areas.

The idea of building a city cluster in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the outcome of the constant integration of the cities in the Pearl River Delta region. In 2016， Chinas 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） contained a provision “to support Hong Kong and Macao to play an important role in the cooperation in the pan-Pearl River Delta and promote a platform for cooperation in the GuangdongHong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and cross-provincial cooperation.” In 2017， the subject of the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area appeared in both the Report on the Work of the Government and the report to the 19th National Congress of the CPC， becoming a national strategy. The Central Economic Work Conference in December 2017 listed the planning of the greater bay area as a task for 2018. This marked the formal start of strategic planning.