On Monday, the Shanghai government unveiled a program that invites business reporters to function as observers and supervisors of the city's business environment.

As a key component of the latest 7.0 version of Shanghai's action plan for improving the business environment, released earlier this year, the program utilises reporters to promote business-related policies and bridge the information gap between the government and enterprises.

“This is an unprecedented attempt in the nation to make our reporters participate in the process of developing business-related policies,” stated Gu Jun, director of the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission.

Reporters can act as a bridge by gathering the complaints and needs of organisations, thereby prompting relevant governmental departments to address the actual problems that occur, he went on to say.

The media will also conduct various forms of surveys and investigations regarding Shanghai's business environment, reflecting the actual situation for future optimisation, Shine News reports.

The first group of so-called “media observers” for Shanghai's business environment comprises approximately 50 journalists from national, city, and district-level media outlets, including Shanghai Daily

The inaugural action plan for enhancing the business environment was introduced back in 2018.

Furthermore, according to official data, Shanghai established 6,017 new foreign-invested enterprises last year, representing a 38.3% increase compared to the previous year. 

The actual use of foreign investment amounted to $24.087 billion, marking a 0.5% year-on-year increase.