State Council Executive Meeting: All localities must refrain from expanding electrolytic aluminum production capacity in any form.

On October 8, Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council presided over an executive meeting of the State Council, which decided to further streamline government‑approved investment projects in order to deepen reform and further unleash market vitality, and also resolved to simplify the approval and regulatory procedures for foreign‑invested enterprises and other entities, thereby creating a more favorable environment for expanding opening-up.
The meeting noted that, building on the two rounds of streamlining government‑approved investment projects in 2013 and 2014, further delegating approval authority for such projects constitutes an important measure to implement the overarching plan for deepening reform and advancing the transformation of government functions. This approach will help mobilize the enthusiasm of all stakeholders and encourage market entities to expand sound and effective investment. The meeting decided that, drawing on experience gained over recent years, approval powers for investment projects within the scope of national plans—provided they meet clearly defined standards—may be delegated. First, for investment projects such as specialized container terminals, inland waterway navigation and hydropower hubs, automotive engines, and urban rapid rail transit systems, approval authority may be devolved to provincial governments, which will make decisions in accordance with relevant national plans and准入 standards. Projects involving railways, bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure financed by China Railway Corporation shall be subject to its own independent decision‑making. Furthermore, efforts will be intensified to open up social sectors—including healthcare, education, culture, and sports—to private investment. Second, in industries suffering from severe overcapacity—such as steel, coal, and electrolytic aluminum—local authorities must refrain from expanding capacity by any means, and, in principle, no new traditional internal‑combustion‑engine automobile manufacturers shall be approved. Third, in line with the principle that “whoever approves also regulates, and whoever is in charge also oversees,” regulatory responsibilities must be strictly enforced, and entry barriers related to land conservation, energy and water efficiency, technology, and safety must be strengthened. For projects with significant environmental impacts or high risks, environmental impact assessments must be rigorously reviewed and approved. By combining robust deregulation with effective oversight, we will ensure that the market plays a decisive role in resource allocation while enabling the government to fulfill its functions more effectively.
The meeting concluded that replicating and scaling up the experiences of the pilot free trade zones—by deepening reforms such as streamlining administration, delegating power, combining regulation with oversight, and optimizing services—will help create a business environment in which both domestic and foreign-invested enterprises are treated equally and compete on a level playing field. This is a key component of advancing a new round of high-standard opening-up. In accordance with the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on amending the Foreign-Invested Enterprises Law and other laws, the meeting decided that, going forward, for foreign-invested enterprises that do not fall under any special access‑related management measures—such as equity‑ownership or senior‑management requirements listed in the prohibited, restricted, or encouraged categories of the 2015 Edition of the Catalogue of Industries for Foreign Investment—the establishment and amendment of such enterprises will no longer require approval but will instead be subject to filing. Moreover, this filing will not serve as a prerequisite for procedures such as industrial and commercial registration or foreign‑exchange registration. Implementing this reform will reduce the number of approval procedures for establishing and amending foreign-invested enterprises by more than 95 percent. Relevant departments are expected to enhance efficiency, strengthen targeted investment promotion and services, and at the same time reinforce ongoing and post‑event supervision, while encouraging integrity and compliance with the law. Moving forward, further refinements to these special access‑related management measures will be pursued in line with the requirements of expanding opening-up.