Shanghai has launched 36 measure to deepen its development as an international first-class business environment.

A plan was released on the city government website on Wednesday that clarifies the target of developing Shanghai as one of the open economic centers most convenient for trade and investment, with the highest administrative efficiency, the most standardized government services, and the most mature system of law.

The city will draw on experience from home and abroad and implement a number of breakthrough and leading reform measures in two to three years.

Greater emphasis will be laid on the one-stop online government services platform.

For instance, the city will promote the application of e-certificates, e-seals and e-files. No fewer than 500 kinds of electronic certificates and licenses will be added, covering most certificates, licenses, approval files and appraisal reports issued by the Party and city government authorities. The collected e-certificates can be applied to all government service affairs.

To make the business environment more competitive at international level, the city will make it more convenient for enterprises to gain access to electricity. The time required for applying for low-voltage power projects will be shortened to 10 days with only two procedures.

For those applying for 10-kilovoltpower, the city will try to shorten the approval time for road digging to less than 15 working days to achieve a 20-percent cut in the time to access electricity.

It will take just two to three days to start a business in Shanghai as applicants can complete all administrative affairs through the "one window" platform, including applying for a business license, official seal, tax control equipment and invoice, as well as employment insurance registration and provident fund registration.

The city will promote the convenience of paying taxes and reduce the burden on enterprises as well. Businesses will be able to get tax refunds via online platforms with no need for anything on paper. In addition, the social security fund and provident fund payment processes will be further optimized, and the time for paying taxes reduced by 10 percent to under 100 hours.

Shanghai will also build a unified platform to promote investment and offer services to enterprises, and provide investors with all-round and full-coverage services for attracting investment.

The city will speed up construction of the special window for foreign issues on the one-stop online government service platform, offering services in Chinese and English.

As for foreign individuals, "single windows" shall be set up at municipal and district level to deal with affairs related to foreigners' employment and residence. For qualified foreign high-end talent, such affairs will be completed within seven working days with one-stop services.