On June 18, the Ministry of Commerce held a regular press conference. The spokesperson introduced the updated and upgraded contents of the “Guidelines for Working and Living in China for Foreign Business Personnel (2026 Edition)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Guidelines”). At the same time, he notified the latest progress and follow-up work arrangements of the “Shared Big Market·Export to China” series of economic and trade activities.
The “Guidelines” have been issued by the Ministry of Commerce and relevant departments for three consecutive years. They have been widely recognized and welcomed for their practical content that meets the needs of foreign business people in China.
The 2026 version of the guidelines has completed optimization and upgrades of many contents around the two dimensions of policy implementation and life services, further improving the convenience of foreign business people working and living in China.
In terms of policy convenience, the new version of the guidelines clearly expands the scope of unilateral visa exemption and optimizes and adjusts the 240-hour transit visa exemption policy.
At the same time, a new description of the policies related to departure tax refund and a complete introduction to the application process have been added, so that foreign business people can clearly understand the favorable policies related to entry and exit and consumption tax in China.
The adjustment and improvement of this series of policies will undoubtedly provide more convenience and benefits for foreign business people to carry out business activities in China, help attract more foreign companies and business people to China, and promote economic exchanges and cooperation between China and foreign countries.
In terms of daily life services, the guidelines have added guidance on the application and use of eSIM cards, effectively optimizing the communication experience of foreigners in China.
With the continuous development of science and technology, communication plays a vital role in business activities. This new guide can make it easier for foreign business people to communicate in China and improve work efficiency.
At the same time, the cities covered by foreigners who swipe cards to pass through gates and take the subway have been updated simultaneously, further refining travel convenience service measures.
This makes traveling in China more convenient and faster for foreign business people and allows them to better integrate into China’s living and working environment.
The spokesperson said that the Ministry of Commerce will continue to pay attention to the demands of foreign business people, create a more friendly, efficient and convenient development environment for them, and help more multinational companies understand China, invest in China, and deepen their cultivation in China.
In terms of a series of economic and trade activities, on June 11, the “Shared Big Market·Export to China” special event in Germany was successfully held. This was also the first special event of this series of activities in an EU country, and achieved good results in precise economic and trade docking and improving the quality of bilateral cooperation.
This special event in Germany has established an efficient platform for pragmatic docking between Chinese and German companies, and has brought together more than 80 companies and more than 120 business representatives from the two countries for on-site negotiations and exchanges.
Among them, the Chinese side has gathered nearly 20 key enterprises such as COMAC and FAW to carry out cooperation and docking focusing on core areas such as aviation equipment and auto parts; German enterprises have focused on promoting advantageous products such as precision instruments and specialty APIs. The industries of both parties are highly complementary and have achieved precise and efficient economic and trade docking.
At the same time, the event effectively played the role of increasing trust and dispelling doubts, and consolidated the confidence and expectations of German companies in cooperation with China.
German companies participating in the meeting generally believe that the development of China’s new productive forces has brought new opportunities for German products and technologies to enter the Chinese market. The potential of China’s ultra-large-scale market and the good business environment continue to attract German companies to develop in China.
As for the follow-up work, the Ministry of Commerce stated that it will continue to organize the “Export to China” series of activities according to the annual plan.
A special event will be organized in the UK in July, which I believe will further promote exchanges and cooperation between Chinese and foreign companies and promote Chinese products to the world.
