China has announced further details about plans to gradually decrease government control over investment decisions. The Opinions on Implementing the Market Access Negative List System, a document released by the State Council on October 19, 2015, offer a firmer roadmap towards adopting a “negative list” approach in China, which would allow foreign investment in all fields except those expressly restricted.

The United States and China are gearing up for the upcoming Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meetings in Guangzhou, scheduled for November 22-24.

China’s four free trade zones (FTZs)—the initial Shanghai FTZ and subsequent zones in Tianjin, Guangdong, and Fujian—offer companies a range of select market openings and preferential policies, while serving as a testing ground for reforms that eventually may be implemented nationwide.

New and broader guidelines for investment reviews and approvals in China are on the way, according to the Draft Regulations on Government Approval and Filing of Investment Projects released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on June 12.

Moderate optimism about the outlook for doing business in China, despite uncertain economic and policy waters, was the overarching theme of the US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) annual China Operations Conference (CHOPs) in Beijing, where government, think tanks, and business executive panelists shared their insights and opinions on the operating market in China.

With President Xi Jinping scheduled to visit the United States in the fall, the pace is picking up for bilateral economic talks. Having completed two rounds of negotiations in Beijing during the past month and additional discussions in Washington, Chinese and American government officials are actively preparing for the seventh annual Strategic & Economic Dialogue (S&ED), set to take place in Washington, DC, in late June.