Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing industry have been cleared to zero

Recently, He Hailin, the head of the Operations Monitoring and Coordination Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, introduced at the regular policy briefing of the State Council that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has always adhered to the concept of open development, strengthened top-level design, built communication platforms, advocated an open and inclusive development environment, and focused on promoting the construction of a mutually beneficial and win-win international industrial cooperation system.

From the perspective of increasing industrial openness, currently, the restrictions on foreign investment access in the manufacturing sector have been completely eliminated. In the field of telecommunications, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has steadily promoted the opening up of the telecommunications industry to the outside world. Eight out of ten value-added telecommunications services have been opened up in free trade zones and other areas, and foreign shareholding restrictions on various businesses such as e-commerce have been further lifted nationwide. 2220 foreign-funded enterprises have been approved to operate telecommunications services in China. "Not long ago, we held a meeting to launch the pilot program of expanding the opening up of value-added telecommunications services in Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, Shenzhen and other places, and encourage foreign-funded enterprises to develop Internet data centers, Internet access services and other businesses in the pilot areas," He Hailin said.

From the perspective of strengthening the construction of industrial open platforms, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology promotes trade liberalization and facilitation through bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms. Since the beginning of this year, we have conducted mechanism based consultations and exchanges with 24 countries, regions, and regional organizations including ASEAN, Germany, Italy, and Brazil. We have signed 28 cooperation memorandums involving industries, information and communication industries, small and medium-sized enterprises, and continuously promoted international exchanges and cooperation in the field of industry and information technology. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued the Interim Measures for the Management of Sino foreign Small and Medium sized Enterprise Cooperation Zones, approving the establishment of 15 Sino foreign Small and Medium sized Enterprise Cooperation Zones in 10 provinces including Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, effectively promoting the external cooperation of small and medium-sized enterprises and regional economic development.

From the perspective of creating an open and inclusive industrial environment, holding the China Africa Digital Cooperation Forum can promote policy exchanges and practical industrial cooperation with developing countries. At the same time, the 2024 BRICS New Industrial Revolution Partnership Forum will be held, and the "International Cooperation Initiative for New Industrialization" will be released, advocating for the creation of an open, fair, just, and non discriminatory development environment, and working together to maintain the security and stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

He Hailin stated that in the next step, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will implement the requirements of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to improve the high-level opening-up system and mechanism, and continue to deepen pragmatic opening-up cooperation in the fields of industry and information technology. Utilize the role of intergovernmental multilateral and bilateral cooperation mechanisms to promote policy coordination and industrial exchange and cooperation. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology actively supports foreign-funded enterprises to establish research and development centers in China, and collaborates with domestic enterprises to carry out technology research and industrialization cooperation, providing better services and guarantees for scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors from various countries to innovate and start businesses in China. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology encourages manufacturing enterprises to deepen their foreign investment cooperation, actively participate in the formulation of international standards, and promote China's advanced technologies and standards to the international market. At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will continue to expand the high-level opening up of the telecommunications industry to the outside world, provide management services for pilot foreign-funded enterprises, and protect the rights and interests of investors in accordance with the law; We will actively participate in global digital governance, promote deep cooperation in the digital field, and provide strong support for the high-quality development of foreign trade.