🔍 Market Access and Compliance
Confirm you can operate in your sector — then stay on the right side of the rules.
19 guides · 3 tools · 6 related policy updates
What this covers
Decide it with a tool
Free, no account needed. Answer a few questions and get a concrete answer for your situation.
Industry Access Checker
Check whether your industry is open, restricted or prohibited for foreign investment.
Data Export Self-Checker
Find your cross-border data path: CAC security assessment, SCC filing or exemption thresholds.
Compliance Calendar
Track annual audits, tax filings and licence renewals — with .ics export.
Guides in this topic (19)
2025 Encouraged Industries Guide
Updated Catalogue of Encouraged Industries with tax incentives and benefits.
China Negative List Explained
Restricted and prohibited industries for foreign investment.
Restricted Industries for Foreign Investment
Sector-specific restrictions and alternative structures.
China Foreign Investment Law Guide
FIL implementation and impact on foreign businesses.
Foreign Investment in China Telecoms: The Value-Added Services Pilot (2026)
100% foreign-owned ICP/IDC/CDN in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hainan: what the telecom pilot opens and how to qualify.
Healthcare WFOE in Shanghai: Hospital License Requirements (2026)
Wholly foreign-owned hospitals come to Shanghai: two-layer licensing, timeline, costs, and the compliance stack.
China Data Security Law Guide
DSL compliance requirements for foreign companies.
Protect Intellectual Property in China
Trademarks, patents, and trade secret protection.
Cross-Border E-commerce Regulations
CBEC rules, platforms, and compliance.
AI Technology Investment Guide
Regulations and opportunities in China's AI sector.
Manufacturing Investment Guide
Setup, incentives, and supply chain considerations.
China Data Cross-Border Transfer Guide
DSL/PIPL compliance: CAC security assessment, SCC, data localization, penalties, and FTZ pilots.
CAC Data Export Assessment Checklist for Automotive Companies (2026)
Connected-vehicle data flows: important-data classification, CAC assessment triggers, and the localization alternative.
PIPL Sensitive Data Export Thresholds: 2026 Guide
What counts as sensitive, when a CAC assessment is triggered, and the consent rules that apply at any volume.
China Data Export: SCC Filing Steps 2026
The complete SCC filing walkthrough: eligibility, CAC model contract, PIPIA, provincial filing, and rejection drivers.
China AI Investment Opportunities 2026
AI market entry for foreign investors: HNTE 15% CIT, regulations, best cities, generative AI compliance.
China Consumer Subsidies & Trade-In 2026
Auto, appliance, and equipment trade-in subsidies - how foreign brands benefit.
China CBEC Pilot Cities, Platforms & Logistics
37+ pilot cities, Tmall Global vs JD, bonded warehouse vs direct mail, positive list, tax rates.
Cross-Border RMB Settlement by Region
RMB settlement pilots: Tianjin, Hainan, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Guizhou, Shanghai. SAFE rules & capital account.
What has changed recently
Policy updates tracked in this topic. Each entry shows its verification status.
The Central Bank of the People's Republic of China
This page from the People's Bank of China describes the Financial Street Forum as a major platform the central bank uses to communicate with markets, and announces a publication series that carries speeches and policy research papers on central bank digital currency (CBDC) by PBC officials and staff. It does not introduce any new rule, obligation, or market-opening measure. Its significance is as a signal of the PBC's communication posture and its continued push on e-CNY research, not as an enforceable policy change.
Nov 6, 2026
China's central bank to raise forex reserve requirement ratio to keep yuan stable
China's central bank will raise the foreign exchange reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions from 4% to 6%, effective November 15, 2026 — the first increase in nearly five years. The move forces banks to hold more foreign currency deposits at the PBOC, which drains U.S. dollar liquidity and is intended to slow the yuan's rapid appreciation. It signals that Beijing wants a stable, not strengthening, currency after a 4.2% rise against the dollar in the first nine months of the year.
Nov 4, 2026
USD/CNY Fixing Rate
This page explains how China sets the daily central parity rate (the 'fixing') for the yuan against the US dollar — the reference rate around which the currency is allowed to trade. Each morning the China Foreign Exchange Trade System polls market makers, strips out the highest and lowest quotes, and takes a volume-weighted average, with a 'counter-cyclical factor' added to dampen sentiment-driven swings. Nothing new is being announced here; it is a standing description of the mechanism, last updated in 2018/2021, so it is background reference material rather than a new rule.
Nov 4, 2026
China’s Macroprudential Management System: Development Practice and Future Evolution-Keynote Speech by Governor Pan Gongsheng at the Annual Conference of Financial Street Forum 2025
PBOC Governor Pan Gongsheng used a keynote at the Financial Street Forum to lay out how China will build a fuller "macroprudential" safety net over the financial system — the rules that watch for risks building up across banks, insurers, markets and cross-border flows rather than inside any single firm. He also confirmed near-term operational moves: monetary policy stays accommodative, the central bank will resume buying and selling government bonds, the digital yuan (e-CNY) gets a new cross-border hub in Shanghai, the long-standing crackdown on virtual-currency trading stays in force, and a one-off personal credit-record repair policy is planned for early next year. Because this is a speech rather than a published rule, it is a strong signal of direction but creates no immediate compliance obligation.
Nov 4, 2026
PBOC Holds Meetings in Sichuan and Shaanxi to Advance Payment Service Optimization
The People's Bank of China convened meetings in Chengdu and Xi'an on June 13-14, 2024, to push forward optimization of payment services in Sichuan and Shaanxi. The meetings frame payment facilitation — bank card acceptance, cash payment, mobile payment and account services — as a priority for elderly users and overseas visitors, and call for demonstration zones at airports, scenic spots and high-speed rail stations. No new binding rules were issued; the purpose was to coordinate local governments, regulators and financial institutions and to set expectations for sustained follow-up work.
Nov 4, 2026
China's central bank to raise forex reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions
China's central bank will require financial institutions to hold more reserves against their foreign currency deposits, lifting the foreign exchange reserve requirement ratio by 2 percentage points to 6 percent effective November 15. The move raises the cost of holding foreign currency liquidity inside China and is intended to tighten management of forex liquidity, effectively making it more expensive for banks to lend or arbitrage dollars. It is a technical monetary tool rather than a new market-entry or investment rule, but it can feed through to FX deposit rates, hedging costs and cross-border funding conditions for companies operating in China.
Nov 3, 2026
In-depth resources
Other topics
Set Up a Company in China
Choose the right structure, understand the real cost, and register without surprises.
China Tax and Payroll
Work out what you owe, when it is due, and what your team actually costs.
Where to Set Up in China
Compare cities and free trade zones before you commit to an address.
Turn this into a plan
The Entry Plan Generator pulls these pieces together — market access, entity, cities, cost, visas, tax and compliance — into one roadmap for your situation.
Generate My Entry PlanPolicy changes that affect this topic, weekly.
Plain-English summaries of the rules that move market access, tax and compliance for foreign businesses in China. Free, unsubscribe anytime.