2026 Negative List: Service Sector Liberalization
Published: June 1, 2026
Executive Summary
China plans to release the 2026 Negative List for Foreign Investment, further opening service sectors including telecommunications, healthcare, and education to foreign participation. This follows the full opening of the manufacturing sector in 2024 and represents the next major milestone in China's investment liberalization roadmap.
Key Points
Telecom sector: Value-added telecom services expected to see further liberalization beyond existing pilot FTZ programs
Healthcare: Expansion of wholly foreign-owned hospital permissions to additional cities beyond current pilot locations
Education: Streamlined approval for joint programs between foreign and Chinese institutions
Manufacturing: Already fully opened in 2024 — no further restrictions anticipated
Expected release timing: June 2026, continuing the annual negative list revision cycle
Service sector focus represents shift from manufacturing liberalization to knowledge-economy openness