China’s foreign-investment negative list has been shortened in every major revision since 2013, with entries falling from over 100 to about 30.中国外资负面清单自 2013 年起历次重大修订持续缩减，条目由百余项降至约 30 项。 The 2024 version deleted the entire manufacturing category, making manufacturing fully open to foreign … How China’s Negative List Has Cut Sector RestrictionsRead more
市场准入 / Market Entry
Sector Restrictions on Foreign Investment in China
Sector restrictions on foreign investment in China are organized through the foreign-investment negative list, not a scattered set of laws.中国对外资的分行业限制通过外资负面清单组织，而非分散于各法律。 The 2024 negative list removed the entire manufacturing category, leaving restrictions concentrated in services and a few sensitive fields.2024 年版负面清单删除了整个制造业类别，限制集中于服务业及少数敏感领域。 … Sector Restrictions on Foreign Investment in ChinaRead more
Industry restrictions by sector: a quick map
At the national level, manufacturing is effectively open, agriculture and mining carry a few hard prohibitions, and services, media, education and healthcare hold most remaining restrictions. 全国层面制造业基本放开；农业与矿业保留少量硬性禁止；服务业、传媒、教育、医疗承载了剩余限制的主要部分。 Agriculture bans investment in rare-Chinese-variety R&D/breeding, transgenic breeding, and fishing in Chinese waters; … Industry restrictions by sector: a quick mapRead more
Foreign Investor Licence and Permit Approval
Incorporation and operating-licence approval are two separate tracks, and foreign investors must budget for both.设立登记与经营许可审批是两条独立轨道，外资投资者须为二者分别预留时间与资源。 Most post-incorporation licences apply equally to domestic and foreign firms and are not foreign-access restrictions.多数设立后许可对内资外资企业一体适用，并非外资准入限制。 The 证照分离 reform moves many licence items to filing or … Foreign Investor Licence and Permit ApprovalRead more
FTZ Fast-Track Admission Channels for Foreign Investment
Free-trade zones operate a shorter foreign-investment negative list than the nationwide list, opening more sectors to foreign capital.自由贸易试验区施行比全国版更短的外资负面清单，向外资开放更多行业。 FTZs pilot “inform-and-commit” (告知承诺制) and one-window admission, compressing the time from application to operation.自贸试验区试点”告知承诺制”与一窗受理，压缩从申请到运营的时间。 Hainan Free Trade Port and the Lingang New … FTZ Fast-Track Admission Channels for Foreign InvestmentRead more
Foreign Investment Approval Reform: From Case-by-Case Approval to Filing
The 2020 Foreign Investment Law replaced case-by-case approval with pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list.《外商投资法》（2020 年）以”准入前国民待遇加负面清单”取代了逐案审批。 The default foreign-investment pathway is now filing and information reporting, not commerce-department approval.外资准入的默认路径如今是备案与信息报告，而非商务部门审批。 Only items on the negative list and certain controlling transactions … Foreign Investment Approval Reform: From Case-by-Case Approval to FilingRead more
Streamlining Admission Approval for Foreign Investors in China
China’s admission-approval regime now operates on pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list, not case-by-case approval.中国的准入审批制度目前实行”准入前国民待遇加负面清单”管理，而非逐案审批。 The nationwide “separating licences from permits” (证照分离) reform removes or relaxes redundant pre-opening approvals for foreign-invested enterprises.全国推开的”证照分离”改革取消或放宽了外资企业开业前的大量重复审批。 The “inform-and-commit” (告知承诺制) mechanism lets qualifying foreign … Streamlining Admission Approval for Foreign Investors in ChinaRead more
China’s Expanded Opening of Value-Added Telecom Services: A 2026 Pilot Roadmap for Foreign Investors
China has removed foreign-equity caps on a defined set of value-added telecom (VAT) services in four pilot zones, and the pilot is now being scaled up.中国在四个试点区域取消了特定增值电信业务的外资股比限制，试点正在有序扩围。 As of early June 2026, 166 foreign-invested enterprises had received pilot approvals, and foreign-invested … China’s Expanded Opening of Value-Added Telecom Services: A 2026 Pilot Roadmap for Foreign InvestorsRead more
FIE admission rules: approval vs. filing
Since 1 January 2020, the default is “non-prohibited, free to enter” — an FIE forms like a domestic company and MOFCOM no longer issues approval certificates. 自 2020 年 1 月 1 日起，默认规则为”非禁即入”——外资企业如内资公司设立，商务部不再核发批准证书。 The only foreign-specific step is an information … FIE admission rules: approval vs. filingRead more
The “Invest in China” Service Platform and One-Stop Support for Foreign Investors (2026 Action Plan)
The 2026 “Stabilise and Improve Foreign Investment” action plan mandates an “Invest in China” digital comprehensive service platform consolidating information, consultation, professional support and feedback.2026年《利用外资固稳促优行动方案》要求建设”投资中国”数字综合服务平台，整合信息归集、办事咨询、专业支持与互动反馈。 Foreign-invested enterprises are promised full national treatment, with government procurement and bidding subject to fair-competition … The “Invest in China” Service Platform and One-Stop Support for Foreign Investors (2026 Action Plan)Read more