Recent national policies concerning the foreign trade sector:
The newly revised Foreign Trade Law of the People's Republic of China: This represents the most significant top-level design adjustment, with key changes including:
Management model update: For the first time, the law stipulates negative list management for cross-border service trade, adhering to the principle of 'access unless prohibited' to enhance transparency and certainty.
Promotion of New Business Models: Explicit support for cross-border e-commerce and digital trade development, alongside advancing international mutual recognition of electronic bills of lading and electronic signatures. Concurrently, accelerating the establishment of a green trade system is proposed.
Strengthened Enterprise Support: Provisions stipulate state support for small and micro enterprises engaging in foreign trade, with nationwide rollout of trade adjustment assistance schemes to help businesses mitigate trade shocks.
🗓️ Annual Policy Adjustments
2026 Tariff Adjustments: Pursuant to the State Council Tariff Commission's announcement, import tariff rates and schedules for certain goods shall be adjusted effective 1 January 2026.
Import/Export Licence Management:
The Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs jointly issued the 2026 editions of the Catalogue of Goods Subject to Import/Export Licence Management and the Catalogue of Dual-Use Items and Technologies Subject to Import/Export Licence Management. Enterprises must comply with the new catalogues.
⚙️ Trade Facilitation and Service Measures
General Administration of Customs' 25 Measures: The General Administration of Customs will replicate and promote 25 cross-border trade facilitation measures nationwide. These encompass enhancing logistics efficiency (e.g., integrating maritime and land transport corridors), supporting cross-border e-commerce and green trade development, optimising regulatory models for commodities such as lithium batteries, elevating smart customs service standards, and increasing incentives for Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) enterprises with high credit ratings.
Ministry of Commerce priorities: The Ministry of Commerce stated that in 2026, it will intensify efforts to stabilise foreign trade through four key areas: implementing policies, expanding diversified markets (increasing support for trade fair participation), cultivating new growth drivers (developing cross-border e-commerce and green trade), and promoting balanced import-export development (organising import promotion activities).
