China's updated market access negative list cuts restricted items to 106

(ECNS) -- China unveiled a shorter version of its market access negative list on Thursday, further easing restrictions on businesses while adding emerging sectors like unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations and e-cigarettes to the regulatory framework.

The updated list published by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), together with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), has cut the number of restricted items to 106, down from 117 in the 2022 edition.

It has removed eight nationwide restrictions and partially relaxed eight others to lower entry barriers. Additionally, 17 local-level licensing measures covering logistics, freight forwarding, freight information services, forest resource damage appraisal, and vehicle rentals have been scrapped in favor of unified national access standards.

Adjustments were also made to policies affecting social welfare and related sectors.

Beyond the list, all market entities, state-owned or private, large or small, can enter sectors equally, and no local government may impose additional barriers, said Hu Zhaohui, an official with the NDRC's development planning department.

Since its 2018 debut, China's market access negative list has undergone four revisions, reducing restricted items from 151 to 106, a drop of nearly 30%.

(By Zhang Dongfang)