Licensing restrictions on overseas telecommunication services in China
Trade barrier summary
The Chinese telecommunications industry has a number of market access restrictions for overseas investors. Foreign investment in some telecoms licences are prohibited, while others require the formation of a joint venture with a domestic partner. The 2015 version of China's Telecommunication Services Classification Catalogue gives provisions for licensing telecoms services. Telecoms business activities in China are divided into (1) Basic Telecoms Services (BTS); and (2) Value-Added Telecoms Services (VATS). BTS is about providing public network infrastructure, public data transmission and basic voice communications services. VATS is about telecoms and information services provided through public network infrastructure. Overseas investment in China is generally limited to 50% for VATS and 49% for BTS.
Sectors affected
- Technology and smart cities
Resolved
No
Date reported
20 March 2019
Last updated
18 December 2020
Public ID
PID-GDZ3V9
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