2019年CRI 新外商投资法案起草（在线收听）

The draft law on foreign investment is set to be submitted in the coming days to the ongoing session of the National People's Congress for review.

Once implemented, the law will replace three existing laws on Chinese-foreign equity joint ventures, wholly foreign-owned enterprises and contractual joint-ventures, which have been on-the-books since 1980s.

The new draft stipulates that foreign investment in China will be subject to pre-established national guidelines, on top of a negative list management system. The case-by-case approvals will be abolished. Industries where foreign investment is prohibited or restricted are specified in the negative list. Industries that are not on the list will be fully open, with domestic and foreign firms enjoying the same treatment.

Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the second session of the 13th NPC, says the draft is expected to provide a streamlined basic framework to promote foreign investment.

"This is fundamental change to China's foreign investment management system, and it will help create a more open, transparent and predictable environment for investors, as well as provide stronger legal guarantees for greater opening across the board."

The draft also has clear positions on the protection of foreign investors' rights in areas such as intellectual property rights protection and technology transfer.

Zhang Yesui says investments from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are classified in a distinctive category as non-foreign investment, but will not have the same status as domestic capital. He says this means they'll be managed in reference to foreign investments.

"With the new foreign investment law in place, it does not change relevant legal applications with the investment from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. And going forward, the system will continuously to be improved along the way to provide a more open and easy business environment for investors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yesui has taken time to rebuff suggestions the Belt and Road Initiative is creating debt traps for certain countries.

He says since first being proposed in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative has helped enhance connectivity, and created more economic opportunities for China and world. He notes that 67 countries signed cooperation agreements with China last year, taking the total to 152, including international organizations.

"When it comes to the issue of debt, I want to say that the Belt and Road cooperation is guided by the principle of collaboration, consultation and shared benefits. At the same time, it follows market principles, and it aims to create high-quality development. Here I do want to stress that whether there is a project or investment or financial cooperation, decisions are made jointly by all participating parties."

Meanwhile, lawmakers at the NPC sessions are planning to draft a new personal information protection law, in a bid to fight against the improper collection, abuse and leak of Chinese citizen's personal information.

The draft of a law on the management and control of exports is also on the agenda, with authorities saying it will help improve existing legislation on national security and social governance.

外商投资法草案将在本届人民代表大会上提交并进行审议。

一旦实施，这部新法律将取代现行的“外资三法”，即中外合资经营企业法、外资企业法、中外合作经营企业法，这三部法律从上世纪80年代沿用至今。

新草案明确规定，我国对外商投资实行准入前国民待遇加负面清单的管理制度。逐案审批制管理模式将被取消。对于禁止和限制外国投资者投资的领域，将以清单方式明确列出。清单之外充分开放，中外投资将享有同等待遇。

第十三届全国人大二次会议发言人张业遂表示，该草案将为吸引外商投资提供简化基本框架。

“这是我国外商投资管理体制的根本性变革，将提高投资环境的开放度、透明度和可预期性，为推动形成全面开放新格局提供更加有力的法律保障。”

此外，针对知识产权保护、技术转让等问题，草案中也做出了明确规定。

张业遂表示，来自港澳台的投资既不同于外资，也不完全等同于内资，具有一定的特殊性。实践中，对港澳台投资一直参照外商投资进行管理。

“制定外商投资法不会改变国家对港澳台投资的法律适用安排，相关制度还将根据实践需要不断修改完善，进一步为港澳台投资提供更加开放、便利的营商和发展环境。”

同时，他还驳斥了有关“一带一路”倡议给某些国家造成债务陷阱这种说法。

他表示，自2013年首次提出以来，“一带一路”倡议致力于通过改善互联互通，为中国与世界经济的增长带来更多的机遇。他指出，去年有67个国家同中国签署了合作文件。到目前为止，同中国签署合作文件的国家和国际组织的总数已经达到152个。

“关于债务问题，我想“一带一路”坚持的原则是共商、共建、共享，同时也坚持市场化运作的模式，它的目标是实现高质量发展。我想强调，不论是项目选择，还是投融资合作，都是参与方共同作出的决策。”

同时，人大代表已将制定个人信息保护法列入本届立法规划，以打击非法收集、滥用以及泄露中国公民个人信息的行为。

出口管制法草案也已提上日程，有关部门表示，这将有助于加强国家安全和社会治理。