Foreign Investment Law

Foreign Investment Law of the People’s Republic of China
中华人民共和国外商投资法

[Current Text: Chinese | English › NPC; China Law Translate]

(adopted Mar. 15, 2019, effective Jan. 1, 2020)

• Status: Passed
• Legislative Body (Vote): NPC (2929–8–8)
• Principal Drafters: Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission & Ministry of Justice
• Initial Submitter: State Council
• Laws Repealed
  • Chinese-Foreign Equity Joint Ventures Law [中外合资经营企业法]
  • Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises Law [外资企业法]
  • Chinese-Foreign Contractual Joint Ventures Law [中外合作经营企业法]
• Legislative Plans
  • Five-year: 12^th NPCSC Category II; 13^th NPCSC Category I
  • Annual: 2015 (backup), 2016 (backup), 2018, 2019
• Legislative History & Text
  • NPC deliberation – final round: Mar. 3–15, 2019 (Current Text ⇧)
  • NPCSC deliberation – round #2: Jan. 29–30, 2019 (Chinese, English)
  • NPCSC deliberation – round #1: Dec. 23–29, 2018 (Chinese, English) 💬
    • Public consultation: Dec. 26, 2018–Feb. 24, 2019
  • State Council public consultation: Jan. 19–Feb. 17, 2015 (Chinese, English)
• Legislative Records
  • NPCSC Stage
    • Explanation (Dec. 23, 2018)
    • Report on Status of Revision (Jan. 29, 2019)
  • NPC Stage [Gazette 2019(2): 348–361]
    • Explanation (Mar. 8, 2019)
    • Report on Results of Deliberation (Mar. 12, 2019)
    • Report on Suggestions for Revision (Mar. 14, 2019)
    • Presidential Order (Mar. 15, 2019)

NPC Observer Coverage

• Summary of China’s New Foreign Investment Law (Mar. 15, 2019)
• Second Draft of Foreign Investment Law: A Summary of Main Changes (Feb. 24, 2019)
• NPCSC Adds Special Session for Second Review of Foreign Investment Law (Jan. 16, 2019)
• NPCSC Takes No Further Action on Foreign Investment Law (for Now), Adopts Two Tax Laws & Codifies Civil Service Reform (Dec. 30, 2018)
• NPCSC Session Watch: Foreign Investment, Patent, Resource Tax, Local Government Debt & More (Dec. 16, 2018)
• NPC Standing Committee Releases 2018 Legislative Plan (Apr. 27, 2018)

Last updated: August 1, 2025, 17:11 EDT