On February 10, 2026, seven departments of China, including the Ministry of Commerce and the National Intellectual Property Administration, jointly released the 2026 Edition of the Catalogue of Encouraged Imported Services. To facilitate access for investors worldwide, we have specially translated the full text of this Catalogue into English. If you are engaged in the service industry and are looking to expand your market into China, you are encouraged to read the following details carefully. The specifics are as follows:
In August 2016, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Finance jointly issued the Catalogue of Encouraged Imported Services. In March 2019, the Ministry of Commerce, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, and the National Intellectual Property Administration jointly revised and reissued the Catalogue. In August 2024, the Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting High-Quality Development of Trade in Services through High-Standard Opening Up (Guo Ban Fa [2024] No. 44) called for expanding the import of high-quality services and revising the Catalogue of Encouraged Imported Services. To implement the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, and based on development needs, this Catalogue is hereby adjusted and formulated.
The formulation of this Catalogue adheres to the following principles: First, urgent domestic demand. The import of services should better meet the requirements of high-quality development; productive services should be conducive to accelerating the formation and development of new quality productive forces and green and low-carbon transformation; and lifestyle services should be conducive to meeting the people's needs for a better life. Second, alignment with existing encouraged and supported import areas by competent service industry authorities. Third, service import areas that are prohibited from opening up domestically or that are detrimental to national security are not included in this Catalogue.
Research and Development Services
Service Description: Research and development services in natural sciences, engineering, emerging fields, and interdisciplinary fields commissioned to foreign institutions. This includes research and development services in fields such as physical sciences, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth sciences; research and development services in fields such as mechanics, mechanical engineering, optical engineering, instrument science, materials science and engineering, power engineering and engineering thermophysics, and environmental engineering technology; research and development services in emerging fields such as quantum science and artificial intelligence; and research and development services in interdisciplinary fields such as biomedical engineering and bioinformatics.
Industrial Design and Creative Design Services
Service Description: Services for the design of industrial products, processes, and service products based on engineering, aesthetics, economics, and artificial intelligence technology. This includes the appearance, internal structure, and process design of industrial products in fields such as mechanical design, circuit design, and transportation equipment; as well as creative product design and artistic aesthetic design.
Digital Technology Development Services
Service Description: Research and development services commissioned to foreign institutions and the import of related technologies in digital and intelligent technologies such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, and big data. This includes technology research and development services in areas such as integrated computer graphics technology, sensors, biomimetics, intelligent construction, smart residential communities, intelligent management of villages and towns, digital cities, and smart homes.
Integrated Circuit R&D and Design Services
Service Description: Services related to chip design, equipment R&D and design, and maintenance.
Low-Carbon Related R&D and Design Services
Service Description: Services provided to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of products, including procurement, manufacturing, logistics, marketing, use, and recycling. This includes R&D and design services such as environmentally friendly design, dematerialization design, and high-performance design.
Technical Testing and Analysis Services
Service Description: Technical inspection, testing, and analysis services conducted on product characteristics. This includes professional technical inspection, measurement, and analysis services; composition and purity testing and analysis of fuels, metals, food, and chemicals; digital model testing and analysis services in computer-aided design; testing and analysis services in scientific fields such as life sciences and medical health; and testing and analysis services for aircraft and chips.
Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance Services for Machinery and Equipment
Service Description: Technical inspection, testing, and maintenance services for major machinery and equipment. This includes inspection, testing, and maintenance services for aircraft engines; and inspection, testing, and maintenance services for transportation equipment (automobiles, ships, etc.), machine tools, instruments and meters, communication equipment, and other equipment containing mechanical and electrical components.
Service Description: Legal, consulting, information, and operation services related to intellectual property rights such as patent rights, trademark rights, copyrights, layout-design rights of integrated circuits, and rights of new plant varieties. This includes intellectual property licensing, transfer, investment and financing, rights protection consulting, trusteeship services, and information analysis.
Energy Conservation Engineering Services
Service Description: Services provided for urgently needed domestic energy-saving technologies, processes, equipment, materials, and products, utilizing renewable energy resources to reduce various types of energy consumption during the original engineering construction process. This includes energy-saving engineering renovation services.
Energy Conservation Management Services
Service Description: Management services conducted for setting energy conservation targets, analyzing energy efficiency benefits, and studying energy conservation measures. This includes third-party energy conservation management services such as energy audits, project design, investment and financing services, operation management, and energy performance contracting.
Resource Utilization Services
Service Description: Services for the resource-based recycling and utilization of industrial waste, urban and rural domestic waste, and agricultural and forestry waste. This includes services for the recovery and resource-based utilization of industrial solid waste, waste gas, and waste residue; resource-based utilization of urban and rural domestic waste; resource-based utilization services for waste from rural breeding and planting industries; technical services for intelligent dismantling of end-of-life vehicles, waste electrical and electronic products, and used power batteries of new energy vehicles, as well as automated sorting of dismantled materials; technical services for modification and upgrading of waste plastics and resource utilization of waste tires; and technical services for the resource utilization of new energy waste such as decommissioned wind turbines and photovoltaic equipment.
Remanufacturing Technical Services
Service Description: Services that utilize new technologies and processes to transform industrial equipment and products originally requiring repair or maintenance to achieve refurbishment of old equipment, extension of equipment service life, and optimization of original equipment performance. This includes non-destructive remanufacturing technical services for used automobile engines, machine tools, motors, and shield tunneling machines; automated laser and plasma remanufacturing technical services; and technical services for automated efficient dismantling and green cleaning of components.
Water Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Services
Service Description: Purification and treatment services for sewage or polluted water bodies using physical, chemical, and biological methods, or ecological restoration services for damaged, degraded, or destroyed water ecosystems. This includes pollution control and water purification services for industrial wastewater, domestic sewage, agricultural wastewater, and heavily polluted rivers, lakes, and oceans; and ecological restoration services for rivers, lakes, and oceans with damaged, degraded, or destroyed water ecosystems.
Soil Pollution Control and Remediation Services
Service Description: Services that utilize physical, chemical, and biological methods to transfer, absorb, degrade, and transform pollutants in soil, reducing their concentration to an acceptable level, or converting toxic and harmful pollutants into harmless substances. This includes remediation services for contaminated agricultural land sites, remediation services for contaminated construction land sites, and advanced foreign technical solutions for soil control and remediation.
Coordinated Pollution Reduction and Carbon Reduction Governance Services
Service Description: Governance technology and solution services provided for the coordinated control of multiple pollutants and greenhouse gases. This includes providing integrated solutions and services for the research, development, and application of technologies, treatment processes, and technical routes that coordinate the control of water, air, soil, solid waste, etc., with greenhouse gases, enhancing the synergy between pollution prevention and greenhouse gas emission control.
Technical R&D Consulting Services
Service Description: Consulting and related support services provided for specific technology projects, including research and development, feasibility studies, technology forecasting, and specialized technical investigations. This includes technical R&D consulting services in fields such as transportation equipment, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence.
Technical Management Consulting Services
Service Description: Technical management and consulting services related to specific technical renovations, engineering construction, and the promotion and application of scientific and technological achievements. This includes services related to the introduction of internationally advanced technology and equipment production units, and the engagement of foreign technical personnel for technical guidance.
Environmental Consulting Services
Service Description: Professional consulting services in fields such as environmental pollution control, resource recycling, and cleaner production. This includes consulting services for environmental investigation, environmental impact assessment, environmental supervision, environmental engineering consulting, environmental management system certification, and environmental design; as well as consulting services providing integrated solutions for the treatment of water, air, and soil pollution.
Climate Change Consulting Services
Service Description: Professional consulting services in the fields of climate change mitigation and adaptation. This includes consulting services related to greenhouse gas emission monitoring and accounting, carbon trading, carbon taxes, product carbon footprint assessment, climate change assessment, climate investment and financing, and climate change adaptation.
Service Description: Engineering services related to the green development of urban and rural construction or provided to reduce energy consumption, noise pollution, and carbon emissions throughout the entire life cycle of buildings, as well as related design, assessment, and certification services.
Service Description: Management services for the flow of goods, data, and funds related to products or services throughout the entire process from raw material procurement to product delivery to the final destination. This includes procurement and supplier management, inventory management, logistics and transportation, production planning and control, information technology support, risk management, and customer relationship management.
Service Description: Import of services for the research and development of diagnostic reagents and drugs for major diseases conducted by domestic medical service institutions; diagnosis and treatment services provided by foreign-funded and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan-invested medical institutions and foreign individuals in China that comply with existing laws, regulations, and policy conditions, including health management and medical consultation using internet technology.
Service Description: Care services for the elderly and patients utilizing intelligent terminal technologies such as intelligent assistive devices, smart home and wearable devices, health monitoring, and elderly care, integrated with service platforms employing big data and artificial intelligence. This includes home health monitoring based on health management devices, chronic disease management, elderly care services, and health promotion services.
Disclaimer:
This translation is provided by PUYIZHICHAN for convenience of reference only. The contents of this translation shall not be relied upon as a direct basis for commercial decisions. Any relevant decision-making shall be based on the original Chinese version, and the translator assumes no liability whatsoever arising from the use of this translation.
