Shanghai authorities briefed on the 2026 Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of a World-Class Business Environment on Jan 8, which sets out a series of measures to further improve the city's business environment.

What is the overall approach of the 2026 Action Plan?

The 2026 Action Plan is designed to advance reform in four key areas: government services, market competition, industrial ecosystem, and social co-governance.

The plan balances long-term objectives with clearly defined annual priorities, with a focus on market access, fair competition, and equal protection for domestic and foreign enterprises.

Drawing on international best practices while reflecting local conditions, the plan incorporates principles such as fairness, transparency, and digitalization to strengthen Shanghai's overall competitiveness.

What new measures are proposed in the plan?

The 2026 Action Plan introduces a set of 26 measures.

It places greater emphasis on strengthening platform governance, regulatory clarity, and approval efficiency for new business forms such as online platforms, short dramas, and cultural and creative activities, to support the orderly development of new industries.

The plan responds directly to long-standing enterprise concerns, with concrete measures to improve end-to-end delivery of pro-business policies, expanding integrated policy packages, and further standardizing administrative inspections through coordinated and risk-based supervision.

In addition, the plan places stronger emphasis on industrial ecosystem development, with measures to improve the supply of industrial space, support more flexible and customized use of industrial parks and office buildings, enhance one-stop services, and roll out targeted business environment reforms for key industries.

Click here for more details of the Shanghai 2026 Action Plan to Accelerate the Development of a World-Class Business Environment (full text).

Source: General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government