Recently, the State Council released the Official Reply on Approving the Temporary Adjustment to the Implementation of Relevant Administrative Regulations and Department Rules Approved by the State Council in Beijing Municipality, involving the following nine opening-up measures:

One measure for education:

Beijing will formulate and issue specific management measures to encourage foreign investment in commercial adult education and training service entities and support foreign investors in funding and sponsoring commercial entities for training of vocational skills.

Three measures for information transmission, software, and information technology services:

Restriction on the proportion of foreign investor's shares is removed for information service business entities (for app store only) in Haidian Park of Zhongguancun National Innovation Demonstration Zone;

Restriction on the proportion of foreign investor's shares is removed in value-added telecommunications services, such as Internet access services (Internet access services for users only) in the comprehensive pilot demonstration areas and demonstration parks for further opening up the services sector in Beijing;

Foreign investors are allowed to operate domestic virtual private network service (the proportion of foreign investor's shares shall not be more than 50%) in China.

One measure for leasing and commercial service:

Eligible foreign-funded travel agencies incorporated in Beijing are allowed to engage in outbound travel business, except China's Taiwan.

One measure for sanitation and social work:

The access of private non-enterprise units is relaxed to set up non-profit elderly care institutions through financial donations from foreign businesses.

Two measures for culture, sports, and entertainment sectors:

In Tongzhou Cultural Tourism Zone, foreign investors are permitted to invest in arts performance troupes (the Chinese shareholder shall hold the majority of shares);

Foreign investors are allowed to invest in the audio-visual products production business (limited to cooperations within Beijing National Music Industry Base, Beijing Publishing Creative Industry Park, Beijing National Digital Publishing Base; the Chinese party shall control the operations and hold the right of final review).

One measure for construction sector:

Beijing Municipality will be allowed to explore the reform in examination and approval rules in the field of engineering construction, such as canceling the examination of construction drawings or reducing examined items, implementing the notification commitment system and lifelong responsibility system for designers.

The issuance of the State Council's official reply marks more substantial basis for implementing the opening-up measures involved in the "Two Zones" program, and a more solid and powerful legal guarantee for further opening up the services sector in Beijing.