China unveiled a comprehensive 15-point action plan this week to boost and stabilize foreign direct investment (FDI), mapping out market access expansions in the service, finance, education, and healthcare sectors as it looks to buffer its broader economic security architecture.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has officially blocked Meta's acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus. The decision marks the first time Beijing has applied its 2020 foreign investment security review mechanism to explicitly prohibit an AI-sector acquisition, signaling increasing regulatory oversight over cross-border

In a recent report detailing 100 imported products that failed national safety standards in 2025, China Customs highlighted several high-profile global brands, including Zara, H&M, and Ralph Lauren, which have been repeatedly flagged in past customs notices for quality failures.

Apple has recently agreed to cut the commissions it charges app developers in mainland China after talks with regulators, making a concession and easing mounting pressure and an antitrust threat.

In its 2026 government work report, China vowed to open wider to the outside world while doubling down on manufacturing and homegrown innovation. Premier Li Qiang's report to the National People's Congress last week promised to promote "balanced development of trade," streamline investment especially

China has expanded the list of industries it wants foreign companies to invest in, especially in advanced manufacturing, modern services and development in the country's interior. This is manifested in the latest edition of the Catalog of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment.

In a recent decision, an investment tribunal found for China in a complaint brought by a German spice and food company alleging violations of the China-Germany bilateral investment treaty (BIT) based on actions of a local government.