Multiple parties have coordinated efforts to ensure the effective implementation of business-support policies at the “last mile.”

　　Recent survey data released by multiple institutions show that production among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is recovering at an accelerated pace, and their confidence in future growth is steadily strengthening. At the same time, various stakeholders are actively rolling out measures to address the pressing challenges and long-standing bottlenecks hindering SMEs’ post-pandemic recovery and their capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation. By providing targeted policy support to businesses, fostering technological innovation, and enhancing access to financing, they are working to bridge the “last mile” of policy implementation, ensuring that SMEs are fully informed about available measures and can effectively leverage the associated policy benefits.

　　Multiple indicators show improvement, with the recovery of production among small and medium-sized enterprises accelerating.

　　“Since the beginning of this year, our average order value has increased by roughly 40% compared with the three-year average. Over the past month, our team members have been almost nonstop traveling to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen to handle business,” Cai Xiaopeng, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Zhongguancun Online, told reporters. Equally busy is Deng Bili, Chairman of Anhui Zhici New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. He had just wrapped up a six-day tour of downstream companies to explore collaboration opportunities that morning, and in the afternoon he immediately convened a routine working meeting to analyze recent production and sales data. “As our products find increasingly broad applications in end markets, it’s essential to promptly gather and act on customer feedback,” he said.

　　In the production workshop of Zhici New Materials, dozens of production lines are operating at peak efficiency, as raw materials such as iron, copper, silicon, and boron quietly transform into ultra-thin nanocrystalline soft magnetic ribbons—each as delicate as a cicada’s wing—and are promptly shipped to downstream enterprises in the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and other regions.

　　Recently, multiple indicators have shown that the recovery of production among small and medium-sized enterprises is accelerating, and their confidence in future growth is steadily strengthening.

　　The February SME Development Index released by the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises stood at 89.6, marking a further increase of 0.7 points on top of the substantial rebound seen in January. This represents the second consecutive monthly rise, with the pace of improvement reaching the second-highest level in two years. Both sub‑indices and sector‑specific indices posted broad-based gains. Meanwhile, the latest March Standard Chartered China SME Confidence Index climbed from 51.4 in February to 53.7, hitting its highest level since July 2021.

　　“With orders rising, production and operations accelerating, profitability improving, and fixed‑asset investment increasing, small and medium‑sized enterprises are showing an overall positive outlook,” said Ma Bin, Executive Vice President of the China Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, in an interview with a reporter from the Economic Information Daily.

　　Direct Services to Help Businesses Fully Leverage Policy Benefits

　　To ensure that more small and medium-sized enterprises can benefit from policy incentives, multiple stakeholders are actively working to improve the policy framework for SME development and address the “last-mile” challenges in policy implementation.

　　“Beep, beep, beep”—Ms. Liu, the head of Anhui Chuzhou Haishi Mechanical Equipment Co., Ltd., received a text message informing her that her company meets the eligibility criteria for the “Listing and Boarding Enterprise Award and Subsidy” program and will be eligible for corresponding policy support.

　　This high-tech enterprise, which specializes in the R&D, production, and manufacturing of complete sets of home appliance equipment, is expanding its production capacity and is currently at a stage where it most urgently needs policy and financial support. On the “Wanqitong” platform, after Ms. Liu completes the form to provide the company’s bank account for receiving payments, the subsidy funds can be disbursed directly into the company’s account.

　　Currently, Chuzhou is leveraging big data and artificial intelligence to deliver targeted policy outreach, enable automatic access without application, and ensure direct channels for businesses to voice their needs, shifting the paradigm from “businesses seeking policies” to “policies finding businesses.” As a result, the efficiency of disbursing policy‑related funds has improved by 50%.

　　Industry insiders believe that, influenced by multiple factors, the overall foundation of small and medium-sized enterprises remains relatively weak. It is necessary to continue exploring policy leeway to support their recovery and development, while enhancing the precision and practicality of such measures.

　　The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently issued a notice to launch the 2023 “Together for Enterprises” service initiative for small and medium-sized enterprises. Guided by the actual needs of SMEs, the initiative will focus on addressing the key bottlenecks and challenges hindering their entrepreneurship and innovation, and will carry out targeted outreach and support activities at enterprises, industrial parks, and industry clusters.

　　For example, in the area of policy‑to‑enterprise services, an online platform and mobile app have been established to aggregate a wide range of legal and policy information, enhance intelligent matching and targeted delivery, and help enterprises fully understand and effectively leverage available policies. In terms of investment and financing services, a “One Chain, One Policy, One Batch” initiative has been launched to support SMEs, fostering greater information sharing and coordination between banking and financial institutions and SMEs along industrial value chains.

　　For small and medium-sized foreign trade enterprises, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange recently launched pilot programs for two new application scenarios on its cross-border financial service platform: “Bank–Enterprise Financing Matchmaking” in ten regions including Fujian and Shenzhen, and “Export Credit Insurance Policy‑Based Financing” nationwide. Both new scenarios are squarely tailored to the financing needs of SMEs, offering more market‑oriented and diversified funding channels, reducing banks’ customer‑acquisition costs, and facilitating the efficient allocation of financial resources.

　　Minister of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong stated at a recent press conference held by the State Council Information Office that China will further optimize the business environment and ensure the effective implementation of policies designed to benefit enterprises. The government will leverage the roles of public service institutions for SMEs, demonstration platforms for SME services, and model bases for entrepreneurship and innovation among small and micro‑enterprises, so that high‑quality support reaches SMEs more directly. Additionally, financial institutions will be guided to continue strengthening financing support for small, medium, and micro‑enterprises, while the National Fund for the Development of Small and Medium‑Sized Enterprises will play a catalytic role to encourage greater investment from social capital.

　　Adjust the structure and strengthen capabilities to enhance the enterprise’s core competitiveness.

　　Balancing assistance with development, the government has been intensifying efforts to nurture specialized, sophisticated, and novel small and medium-sized enterprises; facilitating the commercialization of scientific and technological advances and the digital transformation of SMEs; and fostering integrated innovation among large, medium, and small enterprises. Since the beginning of this year, a series of supportive measures have continued to help SMEs optimize their structures and strengthen their capabilities.

　　“As a young science-and‑technology enterprise, the encouragement and support of government policies have helped us transform from a ‘science‑and‑technology team’ into a leading player in our niche industry,” said Deng Bili. Last year, the company was recognized as a national-level “Little Giant” enterprise specializing in niche fields. Meanwhile, with support from the National Key R&D Program, the company has built a 1,000‑ton‑per‑year production line for wide‑width, ultra‑thin nanocrystalline ribbons, which has successfully passed acceptance testing, further strengthening its technological and product advantages.

　　According to data recently released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, since the beginning of this year, small and medium-sized enterprises have seen a marked increase in confidence in industry development, with their innovation-driven momentum accelerating. In February 2023, the “Specialized, Refined, Distinctive, and Innovative” Innovation Index stood at 132.7, up 10.6% year-on-year and 5.2% month-on-month.

　　Focusing on the practical needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for innovative development, further measures will be taken to broaden coverage and enhance quality. The Ministry of Science and Technology will intensify its support for enterprises as the main actors in scientific and technological innovation, enabling them to play a leading role across the entire spectrum—from basic research and applied basic research to technological innovation and the commercialization of results. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has proposed launching initiatives to empower SMEs with scientific and technological achievements, advancing the SME Intellectual Property Strategy Promotion Project, and carrying out targeted actions to digitally transform SMEs, thereby continuously bolstering their core competitiveness.

　　“Small and medium-sized enterprises should focus on their core businesses, strengthen their internal capabilities, adhere to the ‘specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative’ development model, accelerate digital transformation, seize policy and market opportunities, overcome challenges, and strive for progress,” said Ma Bin. (Reporters: Guo Qian, Zhang Mo)