Nine Cities Chosen to Open Up Service Sector, China’s Economy Gradually Opening Up

Beijing, China – To open up the service sector extensively, China is set to launch pilot projects in nine cities. The Ministry of Commerce announced this in a statement made public on Friday.

According to the ministry, nine cities—Dalian, Ningbo, Xiamen, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Hefei, Fuzhou, Xi’an, and Suzhou—will implement 159 pilot measures focused on key areas such as telecommunications, healthcare, and financial services.

These pilot cities will be encouraged to adopt different approaches based on local conditions. For example, the coastal city of Dalian will be supported in leveraging its role as an international shipping hub in Northeast Asia, while Ningbo will be encouraged to strengthen its capabilities in advanced manufacturing and cross-border trade.

In April last year, these nine cities were included in China’s list of comprehensive pilot areas, expanding the program beyond the previous 11 pilot areas.

Since the launch of the pilot program in 2015, China has continued to expand its institutional openness in terms of rules, regulations, management, and standards. At the same time, it has consistently worked to create a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment, providing a stable and open policy environment for foreign businesses to invest and operate within the country.