The Ministry of Commerce has issued the national version and the free trade zone version of the negative list for cross-border trade in services.
With the approval of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, on March 22, the Ministry of Commerce issued Order No. 1 of 2024, promulgating the “Special Management Measures for Cross-border Trade in Services (Negative List) (2024 Edition)” and the “Special Management Measures for Cross-border Trade in Services in Free Trade Zones (Negative List) (2024 Edition)”, which will take effect from April 21, 2024.
The negative list for cross-border trade in services is classified according to the national economic industry classification, uniformly listing special management measures for services provided by overseas service providers in a transnational manner (cross-border delivery, overseas consumption, natural person movement mode). The national version of the negative list for cross-border trade in services consists of 71 items, marking the first establishment of a negative list management system for cross-border trade in services nationwide and clarifying the “baseline” for access to cross-border trade in services. The free trade zone version of the negative list for cross-border trade in services consists of 68 items and makes opening arrangements in the fields of natural person professional qualifications, professional services, finance, culture, etc., to promote the orderly expansion of cross-border services.
The establishment of a negative list management system for cross-border trade in services is an important initiative for China to actively benchmark international high-standard economic and trade rules, promote institutional opening-up, and is of great significance for promoting high-level opening-up to the outside world and better serving the construction of a new development pattern, providing new opportunities for global service trade opening and cooperation. The Ministry of Commerce will work with various departments and regions to implement the national version and the free trade zone version of the negative list for cross-border trade in services, improve the level of liberalization and facilitation of cross-border trade in services, and promote the high-quality development of service trade.
Source: Press Office of the Ministry of Commerce
