China now grants unilateral visa-free entry to ordinary passport holders of 50 countries, valid nationwide for stays up to 30 days.中国目前对 50 个国家的普通护照持有人实施单方面免签，可在全国范围停留不超过 30 天。 The policy was extended on 3 November 2025 to 31 December 2026, and Sweden was … China’s Unilateral Visa-Free Policy: A Practical Guide for Foreign Business Travellers (2026)Read more
FDI
China’s “One Thing” for Foreign Work Permits: Card-Certificate Fusion and Faster Approval
China has merged foreign work authorization with social security functions into a single, faster service known as the “One Thing.” 中国已将外国人在华工作的多项审批整合为一项更快捷的”一件事”服务。 The foreign work permit is now fused into the social security card (“Juying Card”) and the electronic social security … China’s “One Thing” for Foreign Work Permits: Card-Certificate Fusion and Faster ApprovalRead more
China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the Foreign Work-Visa System: A Guide for Employers
The 15th Five-Year Plan for human resources and social security elevates foreign-talent management, linking work permits to a high-skilled migration system and a multi-department coordination mechanism.人力资源和社会保障事业”十五五”规划提升了外国人才管理地位，将工作许可与高技术人才移民制度衔接，并建立多部门联动协调机制。 China’s work-permit system classifies foreign professionals into Category A (high-end), B (professional) and C … China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the Foreign Work-Visa System: A Guide for EmployersRead more
Tax Residency for Foreign Individuals in China: The 183-Day Test, the Six-Year Rule and Treaty Relief
In China, tax residency turns on domicile or an aggregate 183-day stay in a tax year; a resident is taxed on worldwide income, a non-resident only on China-source income. 在中国，税收居民身份取决于住所或一个纳税年度内累计 183 天的居住；居民就境内外所得纳税，非居民仅就境内所得纳税。 “Domicile” means habitual residence from household, family or … Tax Residency for Foreign Individuals in China: The 183-Day Test, the Six-Year Rule and Treaty ReliefRead more
Foreign talent individual income tax incentives in China (2026): allowances, the 15% Greater Bay Area cap and Hengqin
Foreign individuals who are tax residents may choose between standard special additional deductions and the housing, language-training and children-education allowances (non-taxable) — but not both — under the延续 policy through 31 December 2027. 符合居民个人条件的外籍个人，可在专项附加扣除与住房、语言训练、子女教育等津补贴免税优惠之间择一享受（不得同时），该政策延续至2027年12月31日。 The Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area … Foreign talent individual income tax incentives in China (2026): allowances, the 15% Greater Bay Area cap and HengqinRead more
Greater Bay Area Talent Tax Subsidy: How Foreign and HK/Macao/Taiwan Staff Cap Their China IIT at 15%
Caishui [2023] No. 34 extends the Greater Bay Area individual income tax preference through 31 December 2027. 财税〔2023〕34号将粤港澳大湾区个人所得税优惠政策延续执行至2027年12月31日。 Guangdong and Shenzhen pay a subsidy on the mainland–Hong Kong SAR tax burden differential, and the subsidy itself is exempt from IIT … Greater Bay Area Talent Tax Subsidy: How Foreign and HK/Macao/Taiwan Staff Cap Their China IIT at 15%Read more
China’s 15th Five-Year IP Plan and What It Means for Copyright and Foreign Rights Holders
The State Council has issued the “15th Five-Year Plan” for IP protection and utilisation (Guofa [2026] No. 30), setting the 2026–2030 IP agenda for foreign-rights holders in China.国务院印发《知识产权保护和运用”十五五”规划》（国发〔2026〕30号），为在华外国权利持有人确立2026—2030年知识产权议程。 A headline indicator targets the copyright industry’s value-added reaching 7.53% of GDP … China’s 15th Five-Year IP Plan and What It Means for Copyright and Foreign Rights HoldersRead more
China’s Copyright Collective Management System (2026): What Foreign Rights Holders and Users Should Know
Copyright collective management lets a single licensed society exercise rights that individual rights holders cannot efficiently enforce themselves — performance, broadcasting, rental, information-network transmission and reproduction — and license users, collect royalties, and distribute them on the rights holder’s behalf. … China’s Copyright Collective Management System (2026): What Foreign Rights Holders and Users Should KnowRead more
Trade Secret Protection for Foreign Firms in China: Confidentiality Measures, NDAs and Enforcement under the 2026 Rules
Trade secrets now expressly cover “data” and “algorithms”: the 2026 Rules bring source code, models and customer datasets inside protection. 商业秘密现已明确涵盖”数据”与”算法”：源代码、模型与客户数据集被纳入保护范围。 The 2026 Trade Secret Protection Rules (SAMR Order No. 126, effective 1 June 2026) list eight reasonable confidentiality measures, … Trade Secret Protection for Foreign Firms in China: Confidentiality Measures, NDAs and Enforcement under the 2026 RulesRead more
Software copyright registration in China for foreign firms (2026): the CPCC playbook
Computer software is protected automatically from completion under the Copyright Law, but registration with the China Copyright Protection Center (CPCC) is the evidentiary cornerstone for enforcement and pledge financing. 计算机软件自开发完成依《著作权法》自动受保护，但向中国版权保护中心（CPCC）登记是维权与质押融资的证据基石。 From 15 March 2026 the CPCC upgraded the software copyright … Software copyright registration in China for foreign firms (2026): the CPCC playbookRead more