Legislation roundup: State Council and several agencies issue plans for Shanghai Free Trade Zone

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Ministry of Culture, Circular on Implementing the Cultural Market Administration Policy in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone

文化部关于实施中国(上海)自由贸易试验区文化市场管理政策的通知

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Ministry of Transport, Announcement on the Trial Implementation in Shanghai of Domestic Coastal Shipping by Chinese-invested Foreign-flagged Oceangoing Vessels

交通运输部关于在上海试行中资非五星旗国际航行船舶沿海捎带的公告

State Administration for Industry and Commerce, Several Opinions on Supporting the Establishment of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone

国家工商行政管理总局关于支持中国（上海）自由贸易试验区建设的若干意见


The China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone selects the financial services, shipping services, trade services, professional services, cultural services and social services sectors for increased liberalisation by:

• exploring means and mechanisms for closer business cooperation between Chinese law firms and foreign (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) law firms;
• permitting the establishment of foreign-invested share-system companies in an investment nature;
• provided that the security of network information is ensured, permitting foreign-invested enterprises to engage in certain value-added telecommunication services of a set form; if such a service would go beyond administrative regulations, the approval of the State Council would be required;
• studying the promotion of reducing the number of years required for the representative offices of foreign banks in the zone to be upgraded to branches and for branches of foreign banks in the zone to engage in renminbi business;
• permitting foreign-invested enterprises in the zone to engage in the production and sale of gaming and entertainment equipment, and the sale on the domestic market if it passes the content review by the competent cultural department;
• permitting Chinese-invested shipping companies to use wholly-owned or controlled foreign-flagged oceangoing vessels to transport between domestic open ports and Shanghai Port of foreign trade import/export containers that have Shanghai Port as their international transit port;
• except where laws or administrative regulations otherwise provide for actual payment of the registered capital of companies, implementing a system of registration of subscribed-for registered capital on a trial basis for other companies.

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Full translation available in mid-October

Further reading

What the Shanghai FTZ tax system might look like

Opinion: Shanghai chooses free trade

Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Decision on Authorising the State Council to Provisionally Adjust the Administrative Examination and Approval Specified in Relevant Laws in the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Zone