Economy
China makes it easier for domestic companies to invest overseas
South China Morning Post10.09.2014Read original
While China’s outbound direct investment reached a record high of 108 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, the Chinese government further encourages domestic companies to “go global”.
Under revised rules published by the Ministry of Commerce, most domestic firms will no longer need government approval before their overseas investment, but they must register their investment with the authorities. The rules will take effect on October 6.
The ministry, which reviews outbound investment applications from companies owned by the central government, would make decisions within 20 working days, the rules added. The approval time limit for provincial commerce departments, which review applications from local firms, would be 15 working days.
The latest step is in line with the central government’s recent reforms to cut red tape to reduce the government’s administrative powers, the ministry said in a statement.
With the revised rules, deals larger than US$1 billion must also be approved by the National Development and Reform Commission, Xinhua said last week.
Outbound direct investment by non-financial mainland firms hit US$90.2 billion last year, up 16.8 per cent from 2012. Meanwhile, the mainland attracted US$117.6 billion in foreign direct investment last year, up 5.3 per cent from 2012.
