Source: Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China

Compiled by Anthony Wang, Senior Associate, ForTran Law Firm

On September 22, 2025, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) and eight other departments jointly issued a circular introducing a range of new measures to boost service exports and advance the high-quality development of trade in services. The following excerpts summarize key provisions of this newly issued circular.

Circular of the Ministry of Commerce and Eight Other Departments on Several Policy Measures to Promote Service Exports (Shangfuwumao Fa [2025] No. 186, issued by the Department of Trade in Services and Commercial Services, MOFCOM)

I. Fully leverage existing central and local funding channels to support service exports

Strengthen policy communication and guide local authorities to make full use of existing central and local funding channels to further support new forms and models of service exports, including digital services, high-end design, R&D, supply-chain services, testing and inspection, accreditation and certification, intellectual property (IP) services, geoinformation, and language services, as well as green services such as energy-efficiency services, resource recycling, environmental remediation, environmental consulting, carbon-footprint accounting and management, and integrated carbon-management services. Support will also focus on cultivating key enterprises and projects in service exports. 

VII. Facilitate cross-border personnel mobility and inbound consumption

Optimize visa policies for personnel of foreign-invested enterprises, scientific and technical personnel, and high-level talent traveling to China. Expand, in an orderly manner, the scope of countries eligible for China’s unilateral visa-free entry and continue to refine visa policies for foreigners coming to China, including improvements to regional visa-free entry arrangements. Enhance the overall convenience of inbound consumption for sightseeing and tourism, family visits, medical care and wellness, attending and exhibiting at conferences, participating in and viewing sporting events, studying and research visits, and long-stay retirement.

VIII. Streamline management of cross-border capital flows

Advance, in an orderly manner, pilot programs for integrated domestic- and foreign-currency cash pooling for multinational enterprises (MNEs). Allow service-sector enterprises to participate as member entities in MNE cash-pool pilots to facilitate group-wide liquidity management.

IX. Facilitate cross-border settlement for trade in services

Continue to promote settlement facilitation for trade in services and guide banks to optimize cross-border receipt and payment procedures for reputable and compliant enterprises. For small-value, high-frequency service-trade transactions between Chinese and foreign enterprises that maintain long-term cooperative relationships, banks are encouraged to streamline their review processes and improve settlement efficiency.

X. Encourage IP commercialization and transactions

Accelerate the development of IP valuation and transaction mechanisms. Improve information platforms for IP transactions and pledge registration, and encourage banks to cooperate more closely with third-party IP valuation agencies to strengthen valuation capabilities. Optimize the service system for IP-pledge financing, support pilots by banking institutions for internal IP-pledge credit assessment, and promote end-to-end paperless processing of patent-pledge registrations. Support banks in providing loans for R&D related to intangible assets such as patent rights, allowing flexible arrangements based on business characteristics and operating models to meet varied needs in patent R&D and commercialization. Expand insurance coverage for IP and provide targeted insurance protection for key stages such as patent commercialization and IP protection.

XI. Promote and regulate cross-border data flows

Formulate catalogues of “important data” and issue more operational guidelines for identifying important data. Optimize, adjust, and dynamically update the negative list for outbound data flows in pilot free trade zones (FTZs), and explore the development of a nationwide negative list for outbound data flows applicable to FTZs. Support qualified regions in piloting facilitation arrangements for intra-group cross-border transfers of personal information by multinational companies, allowing the free flow of personal information within corporate groups that have passed a security assessment or certification. Subject to national cybersecurity governance requirements, support relevant enterprises and research institutions in using the internet more conveniently to conduct international trade and academic research and to participate in global competition.

XII. Accelerate the development of international data-service business

Support qualified regions—such as the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Hainan Free Trade Port—in carrying out international data-service business. To meet the development needs of new forms and models of trade in services, support the establishment of international data centers and cloud-computing centers in pilot free trade zones (FTZs), the Hainan Free Trade Port, and national demonstration zones for the expansion of opening-up in the services sector, which provide data-processing services to enterprises with relevant needs.

XIII. Support enterprises in developing international markets

Further leverage the role of intermediary organizations in trade in services, providing enterprises with legal support in areas such as IP protection, legal advisory, and dispute resolution through arbitration and mediation as they explore international markets. Together with industry regulators and local commerce authorities, formulate and regularly update a Directory of Major International Trade-in-Services Exhibitions. Increase support for participation by service-trade enterprises in domestic and overseas exhibitions, support enterprises in organizing exhibitions abroad and fostering the development of own-brand exhibitions overseas to help service-trade enterprises develop international markets.

Issuing authorities:

Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM); Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC); Ministry of Finance (MOF); People’s Bank of China (PBOC); General Administration of Customs (GAC); State Taxation Administration (STA); National Financial Regulatory Administration (NFRA); China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA); State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE)

Date: September 22, 2025

Disclaimer: The English translations of the policy measures in this article are unofficial and provided for reference only. In the event of any discrepancy, the original Chinese text shall prevail.