China further shortens market access negative list

China has further shortened its market access negative list, which specifies fields that are off-limits to both domestic and overseas market entities, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on Thursday.

The new version of the market access negative list reduced the number of items from 117 to 106, a decrease of 11 items, according to the NDRC, China's top economic planner.

Replacing the version issued on March 12, 2022, the new version of the list was jointly published by the NDRC, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Market Regulation, after approval by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council。

The new list lowers the entry threshold by eliminating eight access restrictions nationwide. For instance, the production of official seals has shifted from a licensing system to a filing system, and the sale of special computer information system security products now operates under a certification system based on mandatory national standards, leading to the corresponding cancellation of related market access management measures.

Eight national measures have been partially relaxed. For instance, while maintaining necessary market access regulations in sectors including TV drama production, new telecom services, import of forest tree seeds and invoice printing, the entry process has been streamlined.

Some regional measures, including ship design and construction as well as alcohol production and operation management measures established by local authorities, have been eliminated. These matters affected by such eliminations are now managed under a unified national access method.

The new list also legally standardizes market access in key sectors. It further refines market access requirements for specific fields, including incorporating management measures for new business formats and emerging fields into the list, such as the issuance of operating licenses for civilian unmanned aerial vehicles.

"Beyond the list, all types of business entities, whether state-owned or private, major companies or small and micro-enterprises, can enter the market on an equal footing in accordance with the law. The government shall not set up illegal access barriers beyond the list," said Hu Zhaohui, deputy director of the NDRC's Department of Comprehensive System Reform.

"The new list explicitly includes access categories of industrial, investment, internet and key ecological functional areas, with all incorporated into the market access negative list management. This revision also strengthens the connection with special management measures for foreign investment access and cross-border services trade, enhancing standardization, facilitation, and transparency of market access regulations," said Hu.

The new list underscores China's commitment to opening up and removing various market access barriers, fostering a more open and inclusive market environment, said Hu, adding that this move is set to stimulate innovation, entrepreneurship, and creativity among various business entities, especially private enterprises, boosting social investment confidence, ensuring stable growth and employment, and accelerating the construction of a unified national market and the optimization of domestic economic circulation to promote high-quality development.

"In our next step, we will solidly promote the implementation of the new list and carry out the clean-up and rectification actions of market access barriers in the meantime. We will improve the long-term mechanism for breaking down market barriers, ensure that the requirement of 'no prohibition means entry' takes effect, continuously optimizing the market access environment so as to enable the business entities and the general public to have a tangible sense of gain from the reform," said Hu.

Initially issued in 2018 by the NDRC and the Ministry of Commerce, the market access negative list underwent four revisions in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2025. The number of listed items has decreased from 151 in 2018 to the current 106, a reduction of approximately 30 percent.

China further shortens market access negative list

China's push toward a greener future is once again in the spotlight at this year's annual political "two sessions", as lawmakers are reviewing a draft ecological environment code, a significant step toward establishing a comprehensive legal framework for ecological protection.

The draft code was submitted on March 5 to the ongoing fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, for deliberation.

Once adopted, it will become China's second formal statutory code, after the Civil Code, which was adopted in 2020.

The rule of law has been continuously strengthened to support the country's green progress. China already has more than 30 laws related to environmental protection, along with over 100 sets of administrative regulations and more than 1,000 sets of local rules.

The latest legislative move comes amid China's historic gains in ecological conservation over the past decade or so. Championing green development, the country has recorded the world's fastest growth in forest resources and afforestation, led globally in renewable energy development, and achieved one of the fastest national reductions in energy intensity worldwide.

The 1,242-article draft has five chapters, covering areas including pollution control, ecological protection, and green and low-carbon development.

Scholars involved in drafting the legislation say the code goes beyond broad legal principles. It is also designed to address environmental issues that affect people's daily lives.

"Electric vehicles are becoming very common in China. My family has one. We all think it environment-friendly. But have you ever thought about this question: how do we deal with the first generation of EV batteries after they expire a few years later? The same goes for wind turbine blades and solar panels," said Ding Lin, assistant professor of the Renmin University of China.

China's environmental progress has drawn global attention in recent years, from improving air quality to expanding renewable energy. Yet amid geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty, some observers have questioned whether the country will maintain the same pace of green transition.

"Last year during the COP30, even some friends who are very familiar with China asked me whether China will continue its green development path. I told them we have gradually worked out new policies. We have a very clear direction and goal. In a world full of uncertainties, we are providing the most certainty," said Wang Yi, an NPC deputy from east China's Zhejiang Province and professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In a country pursuing modernization, taking the time to codify environmental laws sends a clear message: economic growth and environmental protection are not a trade-off to be managed, but a commitment to be upheld. For China, a beautiful environment is not a luxury for the future, it is a right for the present, and a responsibility to the next generation.

"This code reflects China's vision of harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. It shows how development and environmental protection can move forward together," said Lyu Zhongmei, vice chair of the NPC Environmental Protection and Resources Conservation Committee.

China will accelerate the green transition across the board and cut carbon dioxide emissions per unit of the GDP by a total of 17 percent in the 2026-2030 period, according to a draft outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development submitted to the NPC for deliberation on March 5.

Chinese lawmakers review draft ecological environment code in major green legislative push