Investment Policy Monitor
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UNCTAD has been collecting information on changes in national foreign direct investment (FDI) policies on an annual basis since 1992. This collection has provided input to the analysis of global and regional investment policy trends in the World Investment Report, the Investment Policy Monitors and the UNCTAD-OECD Reports on G20 Measures.
In 2024, to further strengthen the quality of reporting, UNCTAD revised the methodology of monitoring investment policy measures. and revised the measures going back to 2012 accordingly.
The Investment Policy Monitor provides the international investment community with country-specific, up-to-date information about the latest developments in foreign investment policies.
Through its monitoring of investment policy changes, UNCTAD offers cutting-edge and innovative contributions to investment policy discourse, and contributes to preparing the ground for future policymaking in the interest of making foreign investment work for sustainable development.
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The UNCTAD's Investment Policy Monitor database include official measures affecting FDI adopted by United Nations Member States. These encompass measures explicitly targeting FDI (FDI-specific), as well as general investment measures with a clear impact on foreign investment (FDI-related). The measures are either reported directly to UNCTAD by Member States through annual surveys or identified by UNCTAD researchers through publicly accessible sources (such as government websites and specialized policy databases). The classification of measures as more or less favourable is based solely on their potential impact on investors.
Note: Measures are verified, to the fullest extent possible, by referencing government sources. The compilation of measures is not exhaustive.
Disclaimer: the boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
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- China - Allows 100 per cent foreign ownership in certain value-added telecommunication services
China
Allows 100 per cent foreign ownership in certain value-added telecommunication services
08 Apr 2024On 8 April 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued a Circular on Launching the Pilot Program for Expanding the Opening-up of Value-Added Telecommunications Services (VATS). Previously, foreign investment in VATS, such as electronic data interchange and networked electronic devices data processing, was capped at a 50 per cent shareholding. The new policy allows qualified foreign investors to establish wholly-owned enterprises in select VATS within the pilot areas of Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, and Shenzhen.
In these designated pilot regions, restrictions on foreign shareholding will be lifted for various VATS sectors, including Internet Data Centers (IDC), Content Delivery Networks (CDN), Internet Service Providers (ISP), online data and transaction processing, and specific types of information services. However, the relaxation does not extend to sectors such as internet news information, online publishing, online audiovisual, and internet cultural businesses.
Foreign-invested telecommunications enterprises will receive "national treatment," meaning they will be regulated under the same laws and regulations as domestic companies. Operators wishing to engage in VATS activities within these pilot regions must secure a pilot program operating permit from the MIIT.
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Type:
- Entry and establishment (Ownership and control)
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Industry:
- Services (Telecommunications)
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Sources:
- Government of China, China to remove foreign ownership restrictions in value-added telecom services in pilot areas, https://english.www.gov.cn/policies/featured/202404/17/content_WS661f94f5c6d0868f4e8e62b6.html, 17 Apr 2024
- Government of China, China to lift foreign ownership limit in value-added telecom services in pilot areas, http://english.scio.gov.cn/m/chinavoices/2024-04/11/content_117118184.htm, 11 Apr 2024
- china-briefing, China to lift foreign ownership limit in value-added telecom services in pilot areas, https://english.news.cn/20240410/979ddbe877bf46be9e71e524454a66b3/c.html, 10 Apr 2024
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UNCTAD has been collecting information on changes in national foreign direct investment (FDI) policies on an annual basis since 1992. This collection has provided input to the analysis of global and regional investment policy trends in the World Investment Report, the Investment Policy Monitors and the UNCTAD-OECD Reports on G20 Measures.
In 2024, to further strengthen the quality of reporting, UNCTAD revised the methodology of monitoring investment policy measures. and revised the measures going back to 2012 accordingly.
The Investment Policy Monitor provides the international investment community with country-specific, up-to-date information about the latest developments in foreign investment policies.
Through its monitoring of investment policy changes, UNCTAD offers cutting-edge and innovative contributions to investment policy discourse, and contributes to preparing the ground for future policymaking in the interest of making foreign investment work for sustainable development.
-
The UNCTAD's Investment Policy Monitor database include official measures affecting FDI adopted by United Nations Member States. These encompass measures explicitly targeting FDI (FDI-specific), as well as general investment measures with a clear impact on foreign investment (FDI-related). The measures are either reported directly to UNCTAD by Member States through annual surveys or identified by UNCTAD researchers through publicly accessible sources (such as government websites and specialized policy databases). The classification of measures as more or less favourable is based solely on their potential impact on investors.
Note: Measures are verified, to the fullest extent possible, by referencing government sources. The compilation of measures is not exhaustive.
Disclaimer: the boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Share
Latest publications
International investment agreements trends: the increasing dichotomy between new and old treaties
Read more