Equal treatment: Visitors walk and skate across a frozen lake at Shichahai in Beijing. The Commerce Ministry says the new policy measures will support foreign-invested service companies in extending their value chains in China. — AP
BEIJING: China will further open its services sector in 2026, widening market access and accelerating pilot projects in the telecommunications, healthcare and education sectors.
Policymakers have designed the move to translate commitments into concrete outcomes, government officials said on Monday.
Speaking at a news conference in Beijing, Wang Ya, head of the department of foreign investment administration at the Commerce Ministry, said the policy measures will support foreign-invested service companies in extending their value chains in China, enabling more specialised, integrated and digitalised operations.
The government will ensure that overseas investors can claim tax credits when reinvesting profits earned in China, while providing equal treatment to foreign-funded businesses in consumption promotion, government procurement and bidding activities, said Wang.
Vice-Minister of Commerce Yan Dong said these measures will help steer foreign investment towards service-oriented consumption and improve the quality and diversity of services supply.
Aiming to guide more foreign investment towards advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech industries, energy conservation and environmental protection, China will bring the 2025 edition of its Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment into effect on Saturday, according to information released by the Commerce Ministry.
The updated catalogue contains 1,679 items, representing a net increase of 205 entries from the 2022 version, along with revisions to 303 items.
Against this policy backdrop, International Workplace Group (IWG), the Switzerland-headquartered hybrid workspace platform operating in over 120 countries and regions, will deploy additional resources to expand its presence in China’s lower-tier cities, targeting emerging demand beyond major metropolitan areas.
Edward Hu, country general manager of IWG China, said the company sees China’s ongoing push to open up the services sector and improve the business environment as a key driver of its expansion.
He added that with policy support for services consumption and urban development, it underpinned sustained demand for flexible office solutions.
Hu said IWG will partner closely with local property owners to revitalise existing commercial assets while leveraging its global network, corporate client base and standardised operating systems to support scalable, sustainable growth in China this year.
As China expands opening-up in the services sector, authorities are also turning their attention to consumption, seeking to ensure that policy gains are felt more directly by consumers.
Yang Mu, head of the department of market operation and consumption promotion at the Commerce Ministry, said China will further optimise the shopping environment.
This would be by accelerating the development of international consumption hub cities, advancing pilot programmes to build an internationally oriented commercial environment, and supporting trials of new retail formats, models and scenarios.
“The efforts aim to create a number of highly visible consumption scenarios, enabling both domestic and overseas consumers to better enjoy high-quality living experiences,” she said. — China Daily/ANN
