What Happened
On June 16, 2026, the Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Finance issued the Action Plan for Stabilizing and Optimizing Foreign Investment. The Ministry of Commerce published the notice on June 22, 2026. The plan contains 15 measures across five areas: expanding market access, improving investment convenience, strengthening investment promotion, improving service guarantees and optimizing foreign-investment management.
Why It Matters
The document is relevant to foreign companies because it connects market access with practical investment administration. It addresses service-sector opening, financial services, pharmaceuticals, M&A management, cross-border data flows, domestic reinvestment, R&D centers, national treatment, procurement and information reporting. It is a policy action plan, not a universal approval or a replacement for sector licensing.
What the Plan Covers
| Area | Official direction | Business check |
|---|---|---|
| Market access | Further opening pilots in vocational education, finance and pharmaceuticals | Is the company in a pilot sector and location? |
| Investment convenience | M&A administration, data flows and domestic reinvestment | Which procedure and competent authority apply? |
| Investment promotion | Strengthen the Invest China brand and service platform | Where can the company obtain official project support? |
| Service guarantees | National treatment, procurement and issue-resolution mechanisms | Can the company document equal participation and escalation? |
| Management | Regional coordination and foreign-investment information reporting | Are reporting data, owners and deadlines controlled? |
What Foreign Companies Should Do Now
- Map the company’s sector against the current foreign-investment and market-access lists.
- Separate measures that are already effective from measures requiring detailed implementation or local pilots.
- Check whether a project qualifies for a service-sector, financial, pharmaceutical, R&D or reinvestment policy.
- Review cross-border data flows if the group will transfer HR, customer, product or operational data.
- Ask the local authority for the exact application channel, required documents and effective date.
- Keep the official notice, local response and implementation evidence in the investment file.
What the Plan Does Not Mean
- It does not automatically authorize a restricted or licensed business.
- It does not replace the foreign-investment negative list or the general market-access negative list.
- It does not guarantee a tax incentive, financing quota or government procurement award.
- It does not make every local pilot available nationwide.
- It does not remove the need for data-security, customs, tax, product or sector compliance.
Signals for Different Business Models
A company considering a WFOE or JV should review the access and licensing position first. A company considering a remote or distributor model should check whether its cross-border service, data and customs model is consistent with the intended activity. An existing foreign-invested enterprise should review reinvestment, R&D-center, procurement and issue-resolution opportunities with the relevant local authority.
Evidence to Save
- The official action-plan notice and date.
- The applicable foreign-investment and market-access list versions.
- The local authority’s written implementation explanation.
- Any project eligibility assessment.
- The company’s data, tax, customs and licensing review.
- The final management decision and follow-up date.
Conclusion
The practical message is to turn the action plan into a project checklist. Foreign businesses should test each policy opportunity against their sector, location, entity, data flows and approval requirements. The next step is not to assume that support exists; it is to obtain the official implementation route for the specific project.
Sources and Review Date
- Ministry of Commerce, NDRC and Ministry of Finance, Action Plan for Stabilizing and Optimizing Foreign Investment, issued June 16, 2026 and published June 22, 2026.
- Ministry of Commerce, Special Administrative Measures for Foreign Investment Access, 2024 Edition – access-list context.
- NDRC, MOFCOM and SAMR, Market Access Negative List, 2025 Edition – general market-access context.
- State Council, Foreign Investment Guide of the People’s Republic of China, 2025 Edition – practical foreign-investment framework.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-14
