Official data reveals that from January to May this year, 44,885 new business entities were established in Jiaxing, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.73%. Among these, new enterprise registrations surged to 14,120, a significant 19.07% growth. The number of newly registered individual businesses reached 30,761, up 5.94% compared to the same period last year. The growth rate for new market entrants places the city among the top performers in the province, consistently demonstrating robust market dynamism.

An Analysis of New Business Sectors

Wholesale and retail trade continues to hold the top position, accounting for 37.61% of new enterprises established in the first five months. The leasing and business services sector follows closely, making up 18.64% of new registrations. Notably, the scientific research and technical services sector has emerged as the third-largest category, comprising 13.92% of new enterprises. The rising proportion of this sector reflects the initial success of Jiaxing's efforts in cultivating new productive forces, such as "AI+" initiatives and OPC entrepreneurship.

The Lure of Favorable Policies for Entrepreneurs

Why are enterprises, particularly tech-oriented startups, drawn to Jiaxing? The answer lies in a series of innovative reforms designed to lower the barriers to starting a business. As early as 2023, the city pioneered the "Zero-Cost Startup Space" model in the province, offering key entrepreneurial groups complimentary services including address usage, business registration, and integrated support, alongside waivers for initial expenses like utilities and bookkeeping. To date, 41 such spaces have been established across the city, attracting a cumulative total of 2,394 business entities. This innovation has created fertile ground for the flourishing growth of "One-Person Companies" (OPCs).

Thriving Hubs for Individual Entrepreneurs

In the Jiaxing Economic and Technological Development Zone, the "Fusion Society OPC Community" within the Jiaxing Ego Startup Park has already gathered over 20 OPCs. Yang Liang, founder of the resident company Yijia Network Technology Co., Ltd., shared that while film and video production previously required a team of over ten people, a single individual can now manage the entire process from planning to post-production with the aid of AI agents. At this community, the monthly rent for two workstations starts as low as 700 yuan, with complimentary access to public spaces like meeting and presentation rooms, and one-stop services for business registration and bank account opening. Li Xia, General Manager of Jiaxing Ego Startup Park, added that many other enterprises have expressed strong interest in moving in, prompting preparations for new office areas.

A City-Wide Blossoming of Innovation

The trend is spreading city-wide. Since the beginning of the year, Nanhu District's Danchuang Xin Qiu Community has positioned itself in the AI audiovisual space, aiming to host a hundred companies. Xiuzhou District's Vitality Xiuhu OPC Community focuses on AI-empowered "super individuals," while its Canal Bay Cross-border E-commerce Community has already nurtured 8 companies. In Jiashan County, three OPC communities have brought together 23 "super individuals." Notably, the Panoramic AI Drama OPC Community welcomed 9 startup teams within just over a month of opening. In Haining, the Juanhu International Science and Technology City offers free office equipment. Qiu Lingxiao, manager of its OPC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Community, registered his own OPC and within two months had incubated several startup enterprises.

Institutional Support for a New Business Model

"OPCs, as a flexible, low-threshold form of business operation, are increasingly becoming an important choice for individual entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small business owners," stated Qian Yongping, Director of the Business Registration Branch of the Jiaxing Market Supervision Administration. Supporting the standardized and healthy development of OPCs is significant for implementing the "mass entrepreneurship and innovation" strategy, improving the micro-foundations of the market economy, and enhancing the competitiveness of the city's business environment. On May 6th, Jiaxing issued the "Several Measures to Support AI OPC Innovation and Development (Trial)," introducing eight measures focused on space, computing power, and application scenarios, establishing a "1+3+4" full-cycle support system. Subsequently, market regulatory authorities introduced ten further initiatives, ranging from registration facilitation to compliance guidance, to support entrepreneurs. This model of "zero-cost entry + full-cycle assistance" allows grassroots entrepreneurs to start their ventures with minimal burden.

Ensuring Sustainable Growth for Businesses

The city's efforts extend beyond simply helping businesses get started, focusing also on helping them establish firm roots and thrive. Jiaxing continues to deepen reforms aimed at "efficiently handling one matter," achieving full online processing for high-frequency procedures like business relocation registration and information changes. This year, 1,566 business relocation registrations and 99 cross-province relocations have been processed, effectively addressing the historical challenge of "difficult business relocation."

"The professional and efficient service from the local government has given us a genuine sense of the warmth and speed of China's business environment," remarked Hong Jun, General Manager of VEGA (China) Instrument Co., Ltd. On May 29th, the German industry leader in level measurement officially opened its new headquarters and smart factory in Jiaxing. This project involves a total investment of $40 million USD, with a designed annual production capacity of 100,000 precision measurement instruments and an estimated annual output value exceeding 500 million yuan. Since relocating to the Jiaxing Economic and Technological Development Zone in 2023, the company has smoothly completed multiple registration change procedures through the integrated "one matter" service for enterprise information updates.

Streamlining Business Transformation

Simultaneously, the process for individual businesses to transform into enterprises is accelerating. Jiaxing has processed 478 such "individual-to-enterprise" transformations this year, with 453 (approximately 95%) completed via the "direct change" method. "Under the old policy, my years of accumulated business reputation, customer resources, and operational records would have been disrupted," said a citizen, Mr. Gao, who recently collected a new business license at the Jiashan Government Service Center. As another beneficiary of the "direct change" model, he retained his original unified social credit code and establishment date. This reform provides business owners with an alternative to the traditional, more disruptive method of "first cancel, then establish."

Financial Support and Collaborative Networks

The growth of business entities also relies on the precise infusion of financial resources. Jiaxing has innovatively expanded the application scenarios of the electronic business license "Enterprise Code," collaborating with rural commercial banks to launch an online loan application submission service, enabling rapid credit assessment and efficient access to funds. Concurrently, the city has established a "Large Enterprises Helping Small Shops" mechanism, fostering development partnerships between 116 leading enterprises and 6,220 individual businesses. Driven by these targeted policies, the total number of registered business entities in the city has now reached 820,700.

An Exemplary Model for the Region

Sun Qinggang, Vice Dean of the School of Economics at Jiaxing University, analyzed that the "Zero-Cost Startup Space" initiative, the "efficiently handling one matter" reform for enterprises, and the construction of the OPC entrepreneurial ecosystem together provide a replicable "Jiaxing Model" for stimulating the vitality of business entities in the Yangtze River Delta region.