Laws and Regulations

 

National

 

1. Nine Authorities Introduce 17 Measures to Foster the Growth of the Automotive Aftermarket

[Keywords: Automotive aftermarket]

 

Recently, the Notice of the Ministry of Commerce and Eight Other Authorities on Measures to Foster the Growth of Automotive Aftermarket Consumption was issued. The document sets out 17 measures across six areas, including promoting the standardized and orderly development of vehicle modification, supporting the development of the recreational vehicle and camping industry, fostering new business models for classic and vintage vehicles, optimizing the supply of vehicle maintenance and insurance services, actively developing motorsports, and promoting the integrated and innovative development of the vehicle rental industry.

 

Source: Ministry of Commerce

https://www.mofcom.gov.cn/zwgk/zcfb/art/2026/art_db5282fde5404e2b99678c152a36830c.html

 

2. Six Authorities Issue Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of the Advertising Industry in the New Era

[Keywords: Advertising sector]

 

Recently, the Opinions of the State Administration for Market Regulation and Five Other Authorities on Vigorously Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Advertising Industry in the New Era was issued. The document sets out 22 measures in six areas, including optimizing the industrial layout, promoting industrial innovation, advancing integrated empowerment, expanding high-standard opening-up, improving the development environment, and strengthening implementation.

 

Source: State Administration for Market Regulation

https://www.samr.gov.cn/zw/zfxxgk/fdzdgknr/ggjgs/art/2026/art_9d61919cfea14116b347a471bfc804ef.html

 

3. Seven Authorities Jointly Issue Action Plan to Promote Coordinated Development of Large, Medium and Small-Sized Enterprises in the Platform Economy

[Keywords: Platform economy]

 

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and six other authorities jointly issued the Action Plan for Promoting the Coordinated Development of Large, Medium and Small-Sized Enterprises in the Platform Economy (2026–2028). Aimed at significantly improving the level of coordinated development among enterprises of different sizes in the platform economy, the document sets out measures in three areas: strengthening innovation-driven collaboration, improving the ecosystem for coordinated development, and deepening open and coordinated cooperation.

 

Source: MIIT

https://wap.miit.gov.cn/jgsj/xgj/hlwgl/art/2026/art_f2c9b4dd7012487489962c17aee6ff81.html

 

4. Supreme People’s Court Releases 2025 Batch of Typical Cases of Maritime Trials

[Keywords: Maritime, Trials]

 

On June 24, the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) released the 2025 batch of Typical Cases of Maritime Trials. This batch consists of six cases and has three key features. First, it prioritizes people’s livelihoods, including firmly safeguarding the labor rights and interests of seafarers. Second, it emphasizes professionalism and efficiency, helping to establish China as a preferred venue for resolving international maritime disputes. Third, it upholds lawful countermeasures in accordance with the law, firmly protecting the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.

 

Source: SPC

 

Shanghai

 

1. Shanghai Introduces Measures to Support the Establishment of High-Caliber Projects by Foreign-Invested Biopharmaceutical Enterprises

[Keywords: Biopharmaceuticals, Foreign-invested enterprises]

 

Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission (SSTC) and four other authorities jointly issued the Several Measures to Support the Establishment of High-Caliber Projects by Foreign-Invested Biopharmaceutical Enterprises. The document sets out 25 initiatives focusing on market demand, strengthening the positioning, coordinated planning and collaboration of key areas, and bringing together policy support and resource advantages. These initiatives provide targeted support for the establishment of high-caliber R&D, manufacturing and headquarters projects by addressing key business concerns in areas including project development, capability enhancement, clinical support, regulatory services, commercial distribution, customs clearance, data and intellectual property.

 

Source: SSTC

 

2. Shanghai Tightens Supervision over Single-purpose Prepaid Consumer Cards in the Commerce Sector

[Keywords: Single-purpose prepaid consumer cards]

 

Recently, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce (SCOFCOM) and four other authorities jointly issued the Implementation Measures for the Administration of Single- Purpose Prepaid Consumer Cards in Shanghai’s Commerce Sector. The document provides that, for card issuing businesses whose principal business is retail or catering, the balance of prepaid funds received may not exceed 40 percent of their principal business revenue in the previous year. For card issuing businesses whose principal business is resident services, the balance of prepaid funds received may not exceed their principal business revenue in the previous year. The document came into effect on June 12, 2026.

 

Source: SCOFCOM

https://sww.sh.gov.cn/zwgkhsgwj/20260622/ac6d7cbb797249e9a09a7cca1d6b5f3f.html

 

Q&A

 

An official from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) answered reporters’ questions at a State Council Information Office press conference on policies and measures to stabilize and improve foreign investment.

Q

The Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment and Promoting High-Quality Investment proposes measures to enhance the convenience of foreign investment and improve investment promotion. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development also calls for continued efforts to improve the foreign investment environment, strengthen the service and support system for foreign investment, and foster new advantages in attracting foreign capital. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, how will the NDRC effectively support the long-term development of foreign-invested enterprises in China, enabling them to invest with confidence and operate with peace of mind?

A

Encouraging and supporting foreign-invested enterprises to establish a long-term presence in the Chinese market has been our consistent policy orientation. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, we accelerated the establishment of a comprehensive and robust legal and policy framework for foreign investment. The Foreign Investment Law and its implementing regulations have been fully implemented. The negative list for foreign investment access has been continuously shortened. A series of major opening up measures have been introduced in sectors including mining, agriculture and financial services. All foreign investment access restrictions in the manufacturing sector have been removed. Pilot opening up programs in telecommunications, healthcare and education have progressed in an orderly manner. The Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment has been revised several times, with the number of newly added entries reaching a record high. Trade and investment liberalization and facilitation have continued to advance.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, the NDRC will earnestly implement the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, maintain the stability and predictability of foreign investment policies, and create conditions for foreign invested enterprises to achieve better, broader, deeper and smoother development in China.

First, we will foster new advantages in attracting foreign investment by fully implementing the revised Catalogue of Industries for Encouraging Foreign Investment, guiding more foreign investment into advanced manufacturing, modern services, high technology, energy conservation and environmental protection, as well as the central, western and northeastern regions. This will help foreign-invested enterprises better integrate into China's overall economic and social development and achieve shared development through mutually beneficial cooperation, enabling them to achieve better development in China.

Second, we will align with high-standard international economic and trade rules, expand market access and opening up with a focus on the services sector, give full play to the role of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port as testing grounds, steadily expand opening up in sectors including telecommunications, the internet, education, culture and healthcare, and shorten the negative list for foreign investment access at appropriate times, so that foreign-invested enterprises will have broader investment opportunities in China.

Third, we will improve services for foreign investment by giving full play to the role of the national and provincial level task forces for major foreign investment projects, promoting the establishment and improvement of such mechanisms across all provinces, strengthening coordination at all levels, and providing strong support for the smooth implementation of major foreign investment projects. We will also encourage foreign-invested enterprises to reinvest within China and strengthen service and support for reinvestment projects, enabling foreign invested enterprises to establish a stronger long-term presence in China.

Finally, we will strengthen regular communication with key foreign-invested enterprises and foreign chambers of commerce and business associations, respond promptly to their concerns and requests, and work with relevant departments to further facilitate cross-border travel for international business personnel, so that foreign-invested enterprises can operate more smoothly in China.

 

Source: SCIO

http://www.scio.gov.cn/live/2026/38863/tw/

 

Expert Perspective

 

Observations on China’s Foreign-Related Dispute Resolution in 2025: Institutional Innovation, Practical Developments and Future Prospects

 

By Liu Guolin and Duan Jiaqi [Grandall Law Firm]

 

[Continued from the previous issue]

Article Summary

In 2025, a number of representative cases emerged in the field of international dispute resolution, highlighting significant advances in China’s judicial practice in foreign-related litigation, cross-border recognition and enforcement of judgments, and the overseas enforcement of arbitral awards. The mutual recognition and enforcement case involving a shareholder dispute in a China-foreign joint venture demonstrated that, with the deepening of the mechanism for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of civil and commercial judgments between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, the recognition and enforcement of Hong Kong court judgments in the Chinese mainland has become more stable and predictable, thereby strengthening confidence in cross-border commercial activities within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Meanwhile, an arbitration case between a major Chinese state-owned infrastructure enterprise and the owner of an Indonesian power project marked the first successful recognition and enforcement of a CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission) arbitral award in Indonesia. The case has provided an important avenue for Chinese enterprises seeking to recover debts in Southeast Asia and has further enhanced the international influence of Chinese arbitral awards.

[Article Details]

III. Conclusion and Recommendations

Based on the institutional developments and judicial practice relating to foreign-related disputes in 2025, the following observations can be made:

(I) The mechanism for resolving foreign-related disputes is becoming increasingly sophisticated.

The diversified platform for resolving international commercial disputes will continue to improve, providing parties with more options among litigation, arbitration or mediation. Commercial arbitration will become the mainstream method for resolving foreign-related disputes.

1. Internationalization of Arbitral Institutions: More Leading International Arbitral Institutions Deepening Their Presence in China

Over the past decade, leading international arbitral institutions have evolved from an exploratory stage to a breakthrough stage and then to a stage of deeper engagement in the Chinese market. As of 2025, the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), and the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), among others, have established representative offices in major cities across China. Article 86 of the 2025 Arbitration Law expressly permits overseas arbitral institutions to establish business offices in pilot free trade zones, the Hainan Free Trade Port and other designated areas to conduct foreign-related arbitration activities, providing a clear legal basis for their development in China.

The entry of international arbitral institutions has had a dual impact on China’s domestic arbitration landscape. On the one hand, the competitive effect has prompted domestic arbitral institutions, such as CIETAC, to incorporate a large number of international practices into the 2024 revisions to their arbitration rules, including emergency arbitrators, joinder of additional parties and consolidation of arbitrations, improve the international composition of arbitrators, with foreign arbitrators now accounting for more than 30%, and advance the disclosure regime for arbitrators’ conflicts of interest. On the other hand, the collaborative effect is reflected in areas such as joint arbitration clauses, the sharing of arbitrator resources and academic cooperation.

2. Deepening Regional Cooperation: Innovation in Belt and Road Mechanisms

Using the International Commercial Mediation Center for the Belt and Road (BNRMC) as a platform, China has established cooperation mechanisms with the major arbitral institutions of Singapore, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in areas including joint arbitration, the recommendation of arbitrators and hearing assistance.

Within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the diversified dispute resolution approach of prioritizing mediation, with arbitration or litigation serving as a fallback, has gained broad recognition. In 2025, a number of disputes arising from major infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia and the Middle East were successfully resolved through a “mediation first, arbitration second” approach, effectively preserving the long-term relationships among the project partners.

[To be continued]

 

One Week in Shanghai

 

Latest News

 

Winning Entries Announced for the “This is Shanghai” Global Short Video Collection Initiative

[Keywords: This is Shanghai, Short videos]

 

Recently, the list of winning entries for the “This is Shanghai” Global Short Video Collection Initiative was announced, featuring five Best Films, five Most Promising Directors, five Outstanding Films and 15 Outstanding Nominations. Launched in June 2025, this edition of the collection received nearly 600 short film submissions from China and overseas over the course of a year. Centered on five themes that capture the charm, taste, people, objects, and scenes of the city, the program provided a creative framework for storytellers, with countless creators using film to tell their own Shanghai stories. The selected works will be released successively on DocuChina WeChat account and WeChat Channel as well as the bestv app.

 

Source: Shanghai Release

 

Corporate Activities

 

1. LVMH Beauty’s Smart Logistics Automation System Launched in Minhang

[Keywords: LVMH]

 

On June 25, the smart logistics automation system project of LVMH Beauty was inaugurated at LVMH Park in Xinzhuang Industrial Park, Minhang District. With a total investment of RMB 140 million, the project incorporates advanced technologies including multi-level shuttle systems and goods-to-person picking, and is equipped with automated carton folding and sealing, labeling and sorting systems, enabling fully automated warehouse and logistics operations. Following its commissioning, the facility’s e-commerce order processing capacity has increased to 6 million orders per year.

 

Source: Minhang Today

 

2. Corning’s New Project Signed and Launched in Jiading

[Keyword: Corning]

 

Recently, Corning signed an agreement for a new project in Jiading to establish a large-scale production base for high-precision fiber optic connector harnesses. The project plans to invest RMB 200 million to expand the production of high-precision fiber optic connector harnesses and is expected to increase annual production capacity by 400 million optical fiber connectors.

 

Source: Shanghai Jiading

 

3. Shanghai Boeing Aircraft Modification and Maintenance Base Officially Opens

[Keyword: Boeing]

 

Recently, the Shanghai Boeing Aircraft Modification and Maintenance Base officially opened. Located in the southern area of the airport within the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone, the project covers 125 mu, with a total investment of RMB 850 million and a total gross floor area of approximately 70,000 square meters. The base integrates engineering and technical support, bonded aircraft maintenance and modification, bonded component maintenance, and aviation materials management. It is capable of accommodating operations for four wide-body aircraft and two narrow-body aircraft simultaneously.

 

Source: Shanghai Lingang

 

4. GODIVA Opens Its World’s First Chocolate Experience Flagship Store in Shanghai's Xintiandi

[Keyword: GODIVA]

 

Recently, Belgian chocolate brand GODIVA opened its world’s first chocolate experience flagship store in Shanghai's Xintiandi. In addition to its regular product offerings, the store features interactive, made-to-order DIY experiences and exclusive products, allowing consumers to gain a deeper appreciation of the fusion of chocolate heritage and local culture while immersing themselves in the limitless possibilities of chocolate artistry.

 

Source: International Services Shanghai

https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-FirstStores/20260624/50f678163fcf42a1b0dc4409376de73b.html

 

Competitive Events

 

2026 World Snooker Shanghai Masters to Start in July

[Keywords: World Snooker Shanghai Masters]

The 2026 World Snooker Shanghai Masters will take place from July 27 to Aug 2 at Luwan Indoor Stadium. As the first event of the 2026/27 season to be held in China, this year’s tournament will feature a strong lineup, including current world No. 1 Judd Trump alongside top players like Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins, Mark Selby, and last year’s defending champion Kyren Wilson. Chinese players will include world No. 3 Zhao Xintong, world No. 4 Wu Yize, China's snooker stars Ding Junhui and Xiao Guodong, forming a strong Chinese contingent to compete for glory.

 

Source: International Services Shanghai

https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-SportsEvents/20260625/c45fadb7ddcb4f6894d94d0708922cff.html

 

Training & Seminars

 

1. Seminar on Shanghai Local Standards Initiation Policies and Empowerment by Professional Standardization Institutions to Be Held Soon

[Keywords: Local standards]

 

To help foreign-invested enterprises gain an accurate understanding of Shanghai’s policies on local standards initiation and to better leverage the role of professional standardization institutions, the Shanghai Foreign-Invested Enterprises Standardization Collaboration Platform will hold a briefing on Shanghai local standards initiation policies and empowerment by professional standardization institutions on July 9, 2026. Registration for the event will close at 5:00 pm on July 7, 2026.

 

Source: Shanghai Foreign Investment Association

 

2. Registration Underway for the 2026 Advanced Training Program on Intellectual Property Innovation Enhancement for Specialized, Sophisticated, Distinctive, and Innovative “Little Giant” Enterprises

[Keywords: Specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative “Little Giant” enterprises, Intellectual property]

 

The Shanghai Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Development Service Center, in collaboration with the Shanghai Intellectual Property Service Center and Shanghai Institute of Science and Technology Management, will organize the 2026 Advanced Training Program on Intellectual Property Innovation Enhancement for Specialized, Sophisticated, Distinctive, and Innovative “Little Giant” Enterprises. Through two stages of courses, the first from July 9 to 11 and the second from July 21 to 23, the program aims to improve enterprises’ capabilities in intellectual property creation, application, protection and management.

 

Source: Shanghai Enterprise Service

 

Culture & Art

 

1. The 13th Shanghai Lotus and Waterlily Exhibition Opens

[Keywords: Shanghai Lotus and Waterlily Exhibition]

On June 28, the 13th Shanghai Lotus and Waterlily Exhibition officially opened. Under the theme “Lotuses in Shanghai: Celebrating Beauty and Joy”, this year’s exhibition features Guyi Garden as the main venue, together with six sub-venues and four promotional sites. It aims to present visitors with a summer celebration of lotus culture that combines garden appreciation, cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage experiences and cultural tourism consumption. Guyi Garden showcases more than 500 varieties of lotus and over 110 varieties of waterlilies, including classic premium varieties as well as distinctive varieties independently cultivated by the garden.

 

Source: Shanghai Release

https://english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-ClosetoNature-travelinshanghai/20260626/082e2fb2e1ca42d2a201367d5503ec83.html

 

2. The Bund 2026 Football Carnival Kicks Off on June 26

[Keywords: Football carnival]

 

On June 26, the Bund 2026 Football Carnival officially kicked off. Centered on “World Cup viewing, international cuisine and immersive experiences”, the event brings together more than 70 international food brands to create the city’s “second viewing venue”, integrating the excitement of sports, cultural and leisure activities, and the night-time economy. The 31-day event will offer football fans and residents an ultimate football celebration.

 

Source: Shanghai Huangpu

 

3. “Alberto Giacometti: A Life of Creation” Art Exhibition to Open in July

[Keywords: Alberto Giacometti]

On July 17, the “Alberto Giacometti: A Life of Creation” Art Exhibition will open at Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum. The exhibition fully covers the entire creative career of the artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966) and systematically presents his life journey and artistic development. Divided into 13 sections, it brings together 212 major works and valuable archival materials from the Fondation Giacometti.

 

Source: Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum