ECONOMY

Beijing Boosts Foreign Investment Playbook With High-Tech and Services Push

Published: Dec. 25, 2025 3:29 a.m. GMT+8

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Automotive, pharmaceuticals and modern services feature prominently in the 2025 update to China’s investment catalog

China has expanded its catalog of industries encouraged for foreign investment by more than 200 items, as part of a push to channel overseas capital into advanced manufacturing and modern services.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday released the 2025 edition of the Catalog of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment. The updated list, which takes effect on Feb. 1, 2026, contains 1,679 items, representing a net increase of 205 items and modifications to 303 others compared with the 2022 version.

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China expanded its foreign investment catalog by 205 items to 1,679, with changes effective Feb. 1, 2026.
The update targets advanced manufacturing, high-tech sectors, green development, and modern services, emphasizing central, western, and northeastern regions.
The catalog, critical for foreign investment policy since 2019, now has 619 national and 1,060 regional items, supporting technological innovation and regional development balance.

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What Happened When

2019：: The Catalog of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment was first issued.

2020：: A previous update to the Catalog of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment was made.

2022：: A previous update to the Catalog of Industries Encouraged for Foreign Investment was made.

By 2025：: Policy moves were made to relax market access in the medical sector.

2025：: New entries in the national list target modern service industry, business services, technical services, scientific research, and high-end shipping services. Many regional catalog expansions and policy drives in Hainan occurred this year.