China: A new, expanded edition of the list of sectors in which foreign investments are `encouraged` is published

On December 27th, 2020, the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission and Ministry of Commerce released Order 2020/38, in which the 2020 Encouraged Foreign Investment Catalogue (hereafter, `Catalogue`) was released. A sector`s inclusion in the Catalogue means that foreign entities can invest in the sector with fewer restrictions and less scrutiny than those not included, or those included on various other negative lists of sectors (see related acts section for example). Some of the new sectors added to the Catalogue are: AI-driven medical equipment, 5G technology R&D, Blockchain technology R&D, Online/virtual-based services such as education, healthcare, offices, etc.