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PROVISIONS ON THE EXAMINATION AND APPROVAL OF INVESTMENT TO SET UP ENTERPRISES OVERSEAS
 
(Order of the Ministry of Commerce (No. 16 [2004]), October 1, 2004: The Provisions on the Examination and Approval of Investment to Run Enterprises Abroad were adopted at the 11th executive meeting of the Ministry of Commerce on September 23, 2004. They are hereby promulgated and shall be implemented as of the promulgation date)
     
     
SUBJECT : OVERSEAS INVESTMENT; SET UP ENTERPRISES OVERSEAS
ISSUING DEPARTMENT : MINISTRY OF COMMERCE OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
ISSUE DATE : 10/01/2004
IMPLEMENT DATE : 10/01/2004
LENGTH : 1,693 words
TEXT :
Article 1. For the purpose of promoting the development of overseas development, the present Provisions are formulated in accordance with the Administrative License Law of the People's Republic of China, the Decision of the State Council about Setting Administrative Licensing for the Administrative Examination and Approval Items Necessary To Be Preserved and other relevant provisions.


Article 2. The state should help and encourage relatively competitive enterprises with various forms of ownership to invest to run enterprises abroad.


Article 3. The expression "to invest to run enterprises" refers to the operational acts of the enterprises of our country such as establishing enterprises abroad or acquiring the ownership, managerial right or any other right and interest of the existing enterprises by way of establishing (solely-funded, equity joint or contractual joint ventures), purchasing, merging, holding shares, injecting fund, changing stock rights, etc.


Article 4. Domestic enterprises (excluding the financial enterprises) that intend to invest to run enterprises abroad shall be subject to the examination and approval of the Ministry of Commerce. The Ministry of Commerce shall authorize the commerce administrative departments of the people's governments of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government and cities under separate state planning (hereinafter referred to "the provincial commerce administrative departments" to handle the matters related to the examination and approval of the enterprises other than the enterprises directly under the Central Government to run enterprises in the countries listed in the annex.

The Ministry of Commerce shall timely adjust the countries listed in the Annex in light of circumstances and promulgate them.


Article 5. With regard to the domestic enterprises to invest to run enterprises abroad, the Ministry of Commerce and the provincial commerce administrative departments shall examine and approve them by taking the following aspects into consideration:

(1) The investment environment of different countries (regions);

(2) The status of safety of different countries (regions);

(3) The political and economic relationship between the investment destination countries (regions) and China;

(4) The policies for guiding investment abroad;

(5) The reasonable distribution in different countries (regions);

(6) The obligations in relevant international treaties; and

(7) Safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises.

A domestic enterprise itself shall be responsible for whether it is economically or technically feasible to invest to run an enterprise abroad.


Article 6. A domestic enterprise shall not be allowed to invest abroad if:

(1) it impairs the state sovereignty, security and public interests;

(2) it violates any law, regulation or policy of the state;

(3) it is likely to cause the Chinese Government to break any international treaty it has concluded;

(4) involves any technology or goods banned from exporting by China;

(5) the political situation of the investment destination country is turbulent and there is serious safety problem;

(6) it is contradictory to the laws, regulations or customs of the investment destination country or region; or

(7) it is employed for committing transnational crimes.


Article 7. Examination and Approval Procedures

(1) The enterprises directly under the Central Government shall directly file an application to the Ministry of Commerce, while other enterprises shall file an application to the provincial commerce administrative departments.

(2) After the Ministry of Commerce or a provincial commerce administrative department receives the application materials of an applicant, if the application materials are incomplete or are inconsistent with the statutory form, it shall, within 5 working days, notify the applicant of the to-be-supplemented items once and for all; if it fails to do so, it shall be deemed to have accepted them from the day when it receives them. As for the application materials that are complete and consistent with the statutory forms or that have been supplemented by the applicant according to the pertinent requirements, it shall accept them.

(3) A provincial commerce administrative department shall solicit the opinions of our economic and commercial counselor's office of the embassy (consulate) to that country (or region). An enterprise directly under the Central Government shall directly consult the opinions of our economic and commercial counselor's office of the embassy (consulate) to that country or region. The economic and commercial counselor's office of the embassy (consulate) to the foreign country (region) shall make a reply within 5 working days after it receives a letter for soliciting opinions.

(4) The provincial commerce administrative department shall, according to the authorized power, decide whether to approve or not within 15 working days as of the acceptance date; if it is necessary to report to the Ministry of Commerce for approval, it shall conduct preliminary examination within 5 working days from the acceptance day, and if approves, it shall report to the Ministry of Commerce.

(5) The Ministry of Commerce shall decide whether to approve or not within 15 working days as of the acceptance date.

(6) Where the Ministry of Commerce or the provincial commerce administrative department approves, it shall issue a written approval decision; if it doesn't approve, it shall issue a decision of disapproval.


Article 8. Application Materials

(1) The application materials to be submitted by an enterprise include:
1. an application (mainly cover the name, registered capital, amount of investment, business scope, business period, form of organization and equity structure, etc., of the enterprise to be established);
2. the articles of association of the enterprise abroad and relevant agreement or contract;
3. the opinions issued by the foreign exchange administrative department about the examination over the source of foreign exchange fund to invest abroad (having to purchase foreign exchange or remit abroad foreign exchange from China);
4. the business license of the domestic enterprise and other relevant qualification certifications required by the laws and regulations; and
5. other documents required by the laws, regulations, and decisions of the State Council.

(2) The materials which the provincial commerce administrative departments shall submit to the Ministry of Commerce include:
1. the preliminary examination opinions of this department;
2. the opinions of the economic and commercial counselor's office of the embassy (consulate) of China; and
3. the complete application materials submitted by the enterprise.


Article 9. After the application of an enterprise directly under the Central Government is approved, the Ministry of Commerce shall issue an Approval Certificate of the People's Republic of China To Invest Abroad (hereinafter referred to the Approval Certificate) to the applicant. As for an enterprise not directly under the Central Government, the provincial commerce administrative department shall issue an Approval Certificate to it on behalf of the Ministry of Commerce.

A domestic enterprise shall handle the matters relating to foreign exchange, bank, customs, foreign affairs, etc. upon the strength of the Approval Document.


Article 10. A domestic enterprise, which has obtained an approval, shall submit the statistical materials and accept the joint annual examination on overseas investment and comprehensive performance evaluation of overseas investment. As for an enterprise invested abroad upon approval, after it have been registered at the locality, it shall submit the registration documents to the Ministry of Commerce for archival purpose and register in the economic and commercial counselor's office of the embassy (consulate) of China.


Article 11. Where any of the items listed in Article 8 (1) of the present Provisions is modified, it shall be subject to the examination and approval of the original approval organ.


Article 12. The foreign-funded enterprise to invest to run enterprises shall abide by relevant laws and regulations. They shall be subject to the examination and approval of the provincial commerce administrative department or superior. Among the said foreign-funded enterprises, those established upon approval of the Ministry of Commerce shall be subject to the examination and approval of the Ministry of Commerce before they invest to run enterprises abroad, the others shall be subject to the examination and approval of the provincial commerce administrative departments before they invest to run enterprises abroad. The specific requirements shall be distributed by the Ministry of Commerce in a separate document.


Article 13. The Ministry of Commerce will separately formulate measures concerning the e-government approaches such as on-line applications, and the issuance of approval certificates.


Article 14. A provincial commerce administrative department shall not authorize its subordinate commerce administrative departments to handle the matters relating to the examination and approval of the investments to run enterprises abroad, nor may it insert any approval link, application material or approval content.


Article 15. A mainland enterprise to establish an enterprise in Hong Kong or Macao Special Administrative Region shall be subject to the examination and approval under relevant provisions.


Article 16. Where any administrative measure promulgated prior to the present Provisions is inconsistent with the present Provisions, the latter shall be followed.


Article 17. The power to interpret the present Provisions shall remain with the Ministry of Commerce.


Article 18. The present Provisions shall be implemented as of the promulgation date.


Annex: List of the Countries in Which the Ministry of Commerce Authorize the Local Provincial Commerce Administrative Departments To Handle the Matters Related to the Examination and Approval of the To-be-run Enterprises



Annex:

LIST OF THE COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AUTHORIZE THE LOCAL PROVINCIAL COMMERCE ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENTS TO HANDLE THE MATTERS RELATED TO THE EXAMINATION AND APPROVAL OF THE TO-BE-RUN ENTERPRISES

CONTINENT/COUNTRY

ASIA (38)

Thailand
Kuweit
Sri Lanka
Maldives
Malaysia
Pakistan
Turkey
Mongolia
India
Nepal
Uzbekistan
Kyrghyz
Armenia
Philippines
Kazakhstan
South Korea
Turkmenistan
Vietnam
Laos
Tadzhikistan
the United Arab Emirates
Azerbaijani
Indonesia
the Sultanate of Oman
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Lebanon
Cambodia
Bangladesh
Syria
Yemen
Cartel
Bahrain
Iran
Negara Brunei Darussalam
Cyprus
Jordan
Burma


EUROPE (37)

Swede
Germany
France
Belgium
Luxemburg
Finland
Malta
Norway
Italy
Demark
Holland
Austria
Britain
Switzerland
Poland
Bulgaria
Hungary
Czech
Slovak
Portugal
Spain
Greece
Russia
Ukraine
Moldova
White Russia
Albania
Croatia
Esthonia
Slovenia
Lithuania
Iceland
Rumania
Yugoslavia
Macedonia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Latvia


AFRICA (42)

Ghana
Egypt
Morocco
Mauritius
Zimbabwe
Zambia
Algeria
Gabon
Mali
Lybia
Angora
Cameroon
Nigeria
Sudan
Congo-kin
South Africa
Cape Verde
Ethiopia
Congo-Brazzaville
Botswana
Sierra Leone
Mozambique
Kenya
Djibouti
Benin
Uganda
Mauritania
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Madagascar
Central Africa
Tanzania
Togo
Lesotho
Eritrea
Cape Verde
Guinea Ecuatorial
Seychelles
Comorin
Liberia
Liberia
Niger
Tunis


AMERICA (14)

Canada
Mexico
Brazil
Bolivia
Argentina
Uruguay
Ecuador
Chile
Peru
Jamaica
Cuba
Barbados
Trinidad and Tobago
Guyana


OCEANIA (4)

Australia
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
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