China will soon announce a further opening of sectors to foreign investment, the China Securities Journal reported on Tuesday, extending a years-long effort to liberalize capital markets and loosen investment rules in the world’s second-biggest economy.
Under a new version of the government’s “negative list”, foreign investment restrictions in areas including energy, resources, infrastructure, transportation, commerce & logistics and professional services will be loosened or scrapped, the newspaper said.
The new negative list, which is reported to have been completed and set to be released soon, will have two sections, one for nationwide implementation and one for pilot free trade zones.
Besides opening-up measures in 2018, the new negative list will unveil further measures for the next few years and there will be a transitional period for some industries.
The State Council decided at an executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on May 31 that the negative list on the market access of foreign investors will be revised and released before July 1.
China has rolled out an array of measures to significantly broaden market access since the beginning of 2018, a year that marks the 40th anniversary of the country's reform and opening-up policy.
Foreign investment in China hit a new high of 877.56 billion yuan (about 136.72 billion US dollars) in 2017, up by 7.9 percent year on year.
