China further shortens market access negative list

China has further shortened its market access negative list, which specifies fields that are off-limits to both domestic and overseas business entities, in its latest effort to stimulate the vitality of business entities, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) announced on Thursday.

The new version of the market access negative list reduced the number of items from 117 to 106, a decrease of 11 items, according to the NDRC, China's top economic planner.

Replacing the version issued on March 12, 2022, the new version of the list was jointly published by the NDRC, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration for Market Regulation, after approval by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.

The new list has lowered the entry threshold by directly removing a set of national measures, for example, the seal engraving industry has shifted from a licensing system to a filing one, according to an official with the NDRC.

Some national measures have been partially relaxed, according to the NDRC official. For instance, while maintaining necessary market access regulations in sectors including TV drama production and new telecom services, the entry process has been streamlined.

Some regional measures, including ship design and construction as well as alcohol production and operation management measures established by local authorities, have been eliminated. These matters affected by such eliminations are now managed under a unified national access method.

The new list also legally standardizes market access in key sectors. It further refines market access requirements for specific fields, including incorporating management measures for new business formats and emerging fields into the list, such as the issuance of operating licenses for civilian unmanned aerial vehicles.

Initially issued in 2018 by the NDRC and the Ministry of Commerce, the market access negative list underwent four revisions in 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2025. The number of listed items has decreased from 151 in 2018 to the current 106, a reduction of approximately 30 percent, demonstrating that a shorter list fosters a more dynamic market, according to the official.

After more than seven years of implementation, the negative list management model -- which allows market entry for all sectors not explicitly restricted -- has significantly streamlined approval procedures, reduced administrative intervention and steadily dismantled access barriers, substantially boosting market access efficiency, according to Guo Liyan, from the Economic Research Institute of the NDRC.

The new list underscores China's commitment to accelerating the establishment of a unified national market and firmly eliminating all forms of market access barriers, Guo noted.

It reflects China's reform trajectory toward further optimizing the business environment to meet the demands of high-quality development, accelerating the creation of a high-standard market system and effectively boosting the vitality of business entities, Guo said.