Xiamen in Fujian province has been selected to pilot the construction of 15-minute living circles, according to a list released by the Ministry of Commerce on Aug 30.
Another selected city from Fujian province was Fuzhou, the provincial capital.
In May, the MOC had proposed the building of community business circles that are located within a 15-minute walk from residential areas.
Following this proposal, the Xiamen municipal bureau of commerce released plans in July to promote the construction of a modern, multi-level, and multi-category 15-minute living circle in 10 pilot communities covering six districts.
According to the plan, the city will bolster efforts to optimize the layout, address facility shortages, enrich commercial forms, expand market entities, increase service capability innovations, and ensure standardized operations to promote the construction of convenient living circles.
Support covering finance, policies, business environment, and other aspects will also be provided for the construction of 15-minute living circles.
The city is aiming to establish a batch of convenient, standard, intelligent, and high-quality 15-minute living circles by 2025 to better benefit people, upgrade consumption, and boost economic circulation in the city.
China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting from Feb 17.
Forty-one new port-of-entry duty-free shops have been established nationwide, with Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Wharf, and Xiamen International Cruise Center included on the list.
