Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, Opinions on Further Opening Value-added Telecommunications Services to Foreign Investment in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone

工业和信息化部、上海市人民政府关于中国（上海）自由贸易试验区进一步对外开放增值电信业务的意见

January 16, 2014 | BY

CLP Temp &clp articles &

Telecommunications services further opened up in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.

Clp Reference: 2100/14.01.06 Promulgated: 2014-01-06

Issued: January 6 2014

Main contents: The foreign investment percentage in information services and storage and forwarding services the opening of which was committed to to the WTO but the foreign investment percentage in which could not exceed 50% may now exceed 50% on a trial basis. The information services only include app stores.

Four services shall be opened to foreign investment on a trial basis: call centre services, domestic conferencing services, internet access services (providing internet access services to online users) and domestic internet virtual private network services. For call centre services, domestic conferencing services and internet access services (providing internet access services to online users), the foreign investment percentage may exceed 50%; and for domestic internet virtual private network services, the foreign investment percentage may not exceed 50%.

For online data processing and transaction processing services (for-profit e-commerce) the foreign investment percentage may not exceed 55%.

The place of registration and service facilities of enterprises applying to engage in the provision of the aforementioned telecommunications services must be in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. The scope of service for internet access services (providing internet access services to online users) shall be restricted to the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, whereas the scope of service for the other services may be nationwide (Article 1).

clp reference:2100/14.01.06 issued:2014-01-06

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