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China’s 2026 Commerce Priorities: A Guide for Foreign Founders
The national commerce work conference outlines 2026 tasks, including boosting consumption, stabilizing foreign trade, and attracting foreign investment. Here’s what foreign founders need to know.
China’s 2026 Commerce Agenda: Key Takeaways for Foreign Founders
On January 10–11, China’s national commerce work conference was held in Beijing. The meeting reviewed 2025 and the 14th Five-Year Plan period, studied goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan, and deployed work for 2026. Commerce Minister Wang Wentao delivered the work report, and Li Chenggang, International Trade Representative and Vice Minister, chaired the meeting.
For foreign founders registering or operating a company in China, the conference signals policy directions that can affect market access, investment promotion, and trade facilitation. Below is a practical summary of the key points.
2025 in Review: Stability and Progress
The conference noted that 2025 was an extraordinary year. Under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, the commerce system pushed forward and achieved overall stable development with progress. Consumption stimulation produced results, foreign trade grew despite pressure, foreign investment structure improved, and outbound investment advanced in an orderly manner.
Specific work in 2025 included: boosting consumption through trade-in programs for consumer goods, improving service consumption, and creating new consumption scenarios; stabilizing foreign trade by exploring diversified markets and developing new drivers such as services and digital trade; expanding opening-up and stabilizing foreign investment by promoting the “Invest in China” brand and advancing pilot free trade zones; promoting international industrial and supply chain cooperation; utilizing multilateral and regional mechanisms; and balancing development with security by improving export controls and protecting overseas interests.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, consumption’s role as a main engine strengthened, the three pillars of trade (goods, services, digital) were consolidated, foreign investment remained stable with optimized structure, outbound investment developed steadily, and high-level opening-up accelerated.
2026 Priorities: Eight Areas of Focus
The conference emphasized that 2026 is the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. The commerce system will focus on eight tasks:
- Consumption stimulation: Implement special initiatives to boost consumption, build the “Buy in China” brand, cultivate new growth points in service consumption, optimize trade-in policies, and develop digital, green, and health consumption.
- Modern market and circulation system: Advance the building of a unified national market, improve institutional guarantees and facilities, promote retail innovation, and integrate domestic and foreign trade.
- Trade innovation: Launch the “Export China” brand, upgrade goods trade, develop service trade and encourage service exports, innovate digital and green trade, and promote trade-investment integration.
- Attracting foreign investment: Shape new advantages, polish the “Invest in China” brand, orderly expand opening-up in services, enhance investment promotion, and improve foreign investment service systems.
- Open platform development: Align with high-standard international trade rules, implement the free trade zone upgrading strategy, increase the openness of Hainan Free Trade Port, and improve the quality of open platforms and key exhibitions.
- Outbound investment management: Guide rational cross-border layout of industrial and supply chains, improve overseas comprehensive service systems, deepen Belt and Road economic and trade cooperation, develop Silk Road e-commerce, and strengthen risk prevention.
- Multilateral and bilateral cooperation: Implement the four global initiatives, promote global economic governance reform, expand free trade area networks, and enhance bilateral economic and trade work.
- Risk prevention: Improve foreign-related legal systems, export control and security review mechanisms, trade risk prevention, and maintain supply chain resilience.
What This Means for Foreign Founders
For foreign entrepreneurs, the conference highlights several practical implications:
1. Investment Promotion and Services
The continued focus on the “Invest in China” brand and improving foreign investment service systems suggests that local governments may offer more support for foreign-invested enterprises, including streamlined procedures and aftercare services.
2. Market Access in Services
Orderly expansion of opening-up in the services sector could create opportunities in areas such as professional services, logistics, and digital services. Foreign founders in these fields should monitor upcoming negative lists and pilot programs.
3. Trade Facilitation
Efforts to innovate trade models, including digital and green trade, may reduce compliance costs and open new channels for cross-border e-commerce and service exports. The “Export China” brand could also support foreign-invested enterprises in exporting from China.
4. Free Trade Zones and Hainan
The upgrading of pilot free trade zones and the Hainan Free Trade Port will likely bring more liberalized policies for trade and investment. Registering in these zones may offer advantages in customs clearance, foreign exchange, and tax incentives.
5. Compliance and Risk Management
With improved export control and security review mechanisms, foreign founders must ensure compliance with Chinese regulations, especially in dual-use technologies and data security. The conference also emphasizes overseas interest protection, which could benefit companies investing abroad from China.
Conclusion
China’s 2026 commerce agenda emphasizes consumption, trade innovation, and foreign investment attraction. While the conference sets broad policy directions, foreign founders should watch for implementing regulations and local measures. Staying informed and seeking professional advice will help navigate the evolving business environment.
This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Call to action: Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp / WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.