The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and the State 
Administration of Foreign Exchange 
October 31, 2002

Chapter I General Provisions
Article 1  The measures are aimed to enhance the macro-control of, command the variations of, and promote the sound development of overseas investment.

Article 2  A joint annual inspection is applied to overseas investment by the country. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (hereinafter referred to as the MOFTEC) and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(hereinafter referred to as the SAFE) are responsible for the formulation of annual inspection methods and relevant organization, coordination and supervision work.

Article 3  Overseas enterprises shall accept annual inspection through their investing principals.

Article 4  The "oversea enterprises" mentioned in the Measures refer to those enterprises (except financial ones) set up by corporate legal persons (hereinafter referred to as "investing principals") of China.

Chapter II Time, Items and Procedures of the Annual Inspection

Article 5  The department (commissions and bureaus) of foreign trade and economic activities of each province, autonomous region and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and foreign exchange sub-branches take charge of the annual inspection of overseas investment by local enterprises. Central enterprises shall take charge of the annual inspection of their respective overseas investment, except the part concerning foreign exchange, which should be under the foreign exchange bureaus (foreign exchange administrations) of the enterprise¡¦s location (hereinafter referred to as "annual inspection agencies").

Article 6  The work time for annual inspection extends from April 1 to June 15 each year.

Article 7  items subject to annual inspection:

I. Status of overseas investment.

II. The appraisal of overseas enterprises by overseas business organizations of China.

III. Observation of overseas-investment-related regulations of China by investing principals and their oversea enterprises.
 
Article 8  Procedures of the annual inspection

I. The report of annual inspection be co-prepared by the MOFTEC and the SAFE and be published on the web page for downloading by domestic investing principals (for a sample see Attachment I).

II. The downloading should be completed within the stipulated time and the information filled in concerning overseas enterprises should be true and valid.

III. A copy of the finished document should be submitted to the departments (commissions or bureaus) of foreign trade and economic activities and foreign exchange bureaus (foreign exchange administrations).

Chapter III Auditing of Annual Inspection

Article 9  The scoring standards specified in the Measures should serve as the basis for determining the grades (1, 2 and 3) as the result of the inspection by annual inspection agencies (see Attachment II for relevant scoring standards).

Article 10  The certificate of annual inspection uniformly printed by the country is to be sealed for this specific purpose by the annual inspection agencies upon the determining of the grade and then be handed over to the investing principal for keeping (for a sample of the certificate see Attachment III).

Article 11  The report (a copy) and result of annual inspection should be submitted to the MOFTEC by the annual inspection agencies before June 15. A working report on the annual inspection is to be submitted to the MOFTEC and the SAFE before June 30.

Article 12  The MOFTEC is responsible for notifying finance, customs, taxation, foreign affairs, banking, insurance and other departments of the annual inspection results.

Article 13  The inspection is carried out regularly each year and there shall be no other focused inspection of any form on overseas investment.

Article 14  No fee should be charged by any department in the name of annual inspection.

Chapter IV Results of Annual Inspection

Article 15  The result is valid within a year since the day of specialized sealing for annual inspection.

Article 16  The investing principal, after the overseas enterprise obtains the certificate in the annual inspection, should present the certificate of annual inspection to the MOFTEC and relevant departments while undergoing procedures concerning overseas investment.

Article 17  Priority is to be given to grade 1 obtainers in preferential and supportive treatments concerning overseas investment; priority is also to be given by concerned departments in procedures for foreign exchange, customs, taxation and cross-border movement of staff.

Article 18  Grade 2 obtainers do not enjoy preferential or supportive treatments.

Article 19  Grade 3 obtainers do not enjoy preferential or supportive treatments and are allowed a one-year period for rectification and improvement, any new investment is forbidden within one year in case of another grade 3 at the next annual inspection.

Chapter V Penalty Provisions

Article 20  The MOFTEC and relevant departments are to take the following measures for those not declaring for annual inspection:
I. Suspend accepting applications of the investing principal for overseas-investment-related foreign exchange buying or payment and overseas guarantee.

II. Do not accept new applications of the investing principal for setting up overseas enterprises.

III. Do not accept applications for sending staff overseas.

Article 21  Sampling reviews are to be performed by the MOFTEC in joint efforts with relevant departments and a time limit can be imposed on relevant agencies for rectification and improvement if the inspection results are not in accordance with the facts. The treatments provided in Article 20 should be executed in case of serious consequences.

Chapter VI Supplementary Provisions

Article 22  The Measures shall serve as reference with regard to the annual inspection of domestic-invested enterprises in HK, Macao and Taiwan.

Article 23  "Certificate of approval for overseas processing and assembling enterprises using exported materials or parts" must have the certificate of annual inspection as a precondition for its annual auditing procedures.

Article 24  The Measures are subject to the interpretation of the MOFTEC.

Article 25  The Measures shall enter into force as of January 1, 2003.

Promulgated by The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange on 2002-10-31