Nine Departments Jointly Issue Thirteen Policy Measures to Promote Service Export

On September 22, the Ministry of Commerce and eight other departments jointly issued the Policy Measures on Promoting Service Export (the “Measures”), effective from the date of publication.

The Measures set out thirteen policy measures, covering new business formats for service export such as digital services, advanced design, research & development, and supply chain services. The Measures include optimizing the declaration procedures for zero tax rate service export, expanding the coverage of export credit insurance, improving bonded supervision systems, facilitating cross-border capital flow and settlement, encouraging intellectual property transaction and transformation, promoting and standardizing cross-border data flow, and supporting the development of international data service businesses.

Notably, the Measures specify the formulation of an important data catalogue and the introduction of a more operational guide for identifying important data. It calls for optimized adjustment and dynamic updates to the negative list for outbound data transfers in pilot free trade zones, and for research and exploration of a nationwide negative list for data outbound in pilot free trade zones. Regions with adequate conditions are supported in exploring facilitation arrangements for cross-border internal transmission of personal information by multinational corporations, allowing free cross-border internal transmission of personal information by multinational corporations that have passed assessment or certification.