CIRCULAR OF THE GENERAL OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING THETRANSMISSION OF A CLARIFICATION SUBMITTED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE ADMI-NISTRATION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS ON SEVERAL QUESTIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTA-TION OF INTERIM PROVISIONS
OF THE STATE COUNCIL OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLICOF CHINA ON
Important Notice: (注意事项)
英文本源自中华人民共和国务院法制局编译, 中国法制出版社出版的《中华人民共和国涉外法规汇编》(1991年7月版).
当发生歧意时, 应以法律法规颁布单位发布的中文原文为准.
This English document is coming from "LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA GOVERNING FOREIGN-RELATED MATTERS" (1991.7)
which is compiled by the Brueau of Legislative Affairs of the State
Council of the People's Republic of China, and is published by the China
Legal System Publishing House.
In case of discrepancy, the original version in Chinese shall prevail.
Whole Document (法规全文)
CIRCULAR OF THE GENERAL OFFICE OF THE STATE COUNCIL CONCERNING THE
TRANSMISSION OF A CLARIFICATION SUBMITTED BY THE COMMISSION FOR THE ADMI-
NISTRATION OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS ON SEVERAL QUESTIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTA-
TION OF INTERIM PROVISIONS OF THE STATE COUNCIL OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC
OF CHINA ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OFFICES OF
FOREIGN ENTERPRISES
(August 3, 1981)
The clarification submitted by the Commission for the Administration of
Foreign Investments on several questions on the implementation of "Interim
Provisions of the State Council of the People's Republic of China
Governing Resident Representative Offices of Foreign Enterprises", has
been approved by the State Council and is hereby transmitted to you, and
you are requested to implement it accordingly.
A CLARIFICATION OF THE COMMISSION FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF FOREIGN
INVESTMENTS ON SEVERAL QUESTIONS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERIM
PROVISIONS OF THE STATE COUNCIL OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE
ADMINISTRATION OF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE OFFICES OF FOREIGN ENTERPRISES
Since the promulgation of the "Interim Provisions of the State Council of
the People's Republic of China Governing Resident Representative Offices
of Foreign Enterprises" (hereinafter referred to as the "Interim
Provisions"), the various examining and approving units have, in
accordance with the "Interim Provisions", examined and approved, the
applications filed by foreign businessmen for the establishment of
resident representative offices, the departments for the administration of
industry and commerce have approved their registration, and the organs of
public security have the performed residence procedures; work in this
respect has made very good progress, and the administrative work
concerning the resident representative offices of foreign enterprises has
been strengthened to some extent. However, in the course of implementing
the "Interim Provisions", there still exist some questions which need to
be defined more sharply or clarified. Now, several questions concerning
the implementation of the "Interim Provisions" are hereby clarified as
follows:
(1) "Other economic organizations", as mentioned in Article 1 of the
"Interim Provisions", refer to those organizations which are engaged in
economic, trade, technological or finance business activities but are not
called companies or enterprises as such, and which also include such
nonprofit economic organizations as the Japanese-Chinese Economic
Association, the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International
Trade, the National Council for American-Chinese Trade Relations, and
Council for Canadian-Chinese Trade Relations.
(2) Article 2 of the "Interim Provisions", which reads: "Those who have
not obtained approval or have not gone through the procedures for
registration shall not be permitted to undertake business operations of
resident offices", means that those who have not obtained approval or have
not gone through the procedures for registration shall not be permitted to
undertake business operations in the capacity of the staff of resident
(representative) offices, and neither shall they be permitted to put up
any sign at their residences that represents foreign companies or
enterprises.
With respect to those who undertake unauthorized business operations in
the capacity of the staff of resident (representative) offices without
going through the proper approval registration procedures for setting up
resident representative offices, the departments for the administration of
industry and commerce shall notify the persons concerned to close down
their resident offices and to stop their business operations forthwith.
(3) With respect to the certifying documents and relevant materials to be
presented by foreign enterprises when applying for the permission to set
up resident representative offices as provided for in Article 3 of the
"Interim Provisions", the written application and the vesting instrument
must be presented in the original and the other certifying documents may
be presented in duplicate or photo copies. As regards "the certificates of
creditworthiness issued by a financial institution", if a foreign
businessman has difficulty providing one, flexibility may be exercised by
requiring the foreign businessman concerned to present certifying
documents indicating business transactions concluded between the foreign
businessman and a bank within the preceding year instead.
When a nonprofit foreign economic organization applies for the permission
to set up its resident representative office, it may be exempt from
presenting the certificate of creditworthiness required in Article 3 of
the "Interim Provisions".
(4) "The other trades", as mentioned in Article 4 of the "Interim
Provisions", refer to those trades such as cooperative exploitation of oil
and coal resources and etc. which are beyond the approving authority of
the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the People's Bank of China, the Ministry of
Communications, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, and the
parties concerned shall submit their applications to the competent
departments concerned under the State Council for approval in light of the
nature of their businesses.
With respect to those nonprofit foreign economic organizations, which are
the counterparts of the China Council for the Promotion of International
Trade, their applications for the permission to set up resident
representative offices shall, for the time being, be submitted to the
Ministry of Foreign Trade for examination and approval. In the course of
examination and approval, the Ministry of Foreign Trade shall consult
China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
With respect to foreign businessmen in the trust and investment trade,
their applications for the permission to set up resident representative
offices shall, for the time being, be submitted to the People's Bank of
China for examination and approval. In the course of examination and
approval, the People's Bank of China shall consult the China International
Trust and Investment Corporation.
(5) In the event that several foreign enterprises of different trades
jointly apply for the permission to set up a comprehensive resident
representative office, they shall submit their application to the
Commission for the Administration of Foreign Investments of the People's
Republic of China, and the latter shall examine and approve the
application in consultation with the relevant units.
(6) Owing to the serious shortage of housing at present, a strict control
shall be exercised, by the examining and approving organ in accordance
with the specific conditions, over the number of staff of the proposed
resident representative offices of foreign enterprises and over the
duration of residence. An application for the setting up of a resident
representative office shall not be approved if the problem of housing has
not been solved. The maximum duration of residence, approved on each
occasion, shall not exceed 3 years. On the expiration of this prescribed
period, if it is necessary to have an extension, the foreign enterprise
concerned shall submit anew its application to the examining and approving
organ 3 months before the expiration of the original prescribed duration
of residence. And, after obtaining the approval, the foreign enterprise
concerned shall apply to the department for the administration of industry
and commerce for registration. If resident representative offices are to
be set up in China in accordance with agreement between the Chinese
government and foreign governments, the foreign enterprises concerned
shall go through the procedures for registration in accordance with the
"Interim Provisions", and the number of staff of the proposed resident
representative office, the duration of residence, the registration fees,
etc., shall be handled according to the principle of reciprocity.
(7) The approving organ, while issuing the certificate of approval to the
applying unit, shall notify in writing the case to the General
Administration for Industry and Commerce. The departments for the
administration of industry and Commerce shall, after the foreign
enterprise concerned has gone through the registration procedures, notify
without delay the case to the State Commission for the Administration of
Foreign Investments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of
Public Security, the Customs General Administration, and the State Tax
Bureau under the Ministry of Finance. With respect to foreign enterprises
in the trust and investment trade which apply for the permission to set up
their resident representative offices, after they have obtained the
approval and have gone through the registration procedures, the department
concerned shall at the same time notify the case to the China
International Trust and Investment Corporation.
With respect to those nonprofit foreign economic organizations, which are
the counterparts of the China Council for the Promotion of International
Trade and apply for the permission to set up their resident representative
offices, after they have obtained approval and have gone through the
registration procedures, the department concerned shall at the same time
notify the case to the China Council for the Promotion of International
Trade.
(8) Article 5 of the "Interim Provisions" reads: "Those who have failed to
go through the procedures for registration within the prescribed time
limit, shall return the original certificate of approval". An applicant
shall go through the procedures for registration with the department for
the administration of industry and commerce within 30 days from the day
he/she has received the certificate; if he/she has failed to do so within
prescribed time limit, he/she shall be considered to have withdrawn
automatically the original application, and the certificate of approval
already issued to him/her shall become invalid automatically, and he/she
shall be required to return the certificate of approval to the original
approving organ.
(9) The change of "the location of resident office", as mentioned in
Article 7 of the "Interim Provisions", refers to the change effected
within the same city. However, the change of room number within the same
building shall not be considered as a change of the location of resident
office. The resident representative office concerned is required to
notify, without delay, the case of change of the location of resident
office to the local competent department concerned and also to the
department for registration. In case that the resident representative
office of a foreign enterprise has to change its location at the request
of the competent department concerned of China, the foreign enterprise
concerned shall be required to go through the procedures for the
registration of the change without paying any registration fees.
(10) If the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise wishes
to employ staff members, the case shall be handled in accordance with the
provisions in Document No. 48, signed and issued jointly, in 1981, by the
Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General
Administration for Industry and Commerce, the Commission for the
Administration of Imports and Exports, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade;
and, in principle, no individual of a third country or Chinese without
regular registered residence in China shall be hired. However, in special
cases, citizens of a third country or individuals from the areas of Hong
Kong and Macao may be engaged with the approval of the local department of
service for foreign affairs and of the labour department.
(11) Article 4 of "Circular Concerning Registration of Resident
Representative Offices of Foreign Enterprises" promulgated by the General
Administration for Industry and Commerce of the People's Republic of China
on December 8, 1980, provides: "the resident representative offices, or
the resident representatives, of foreign enterprises approved by the
competent departments of the people's governments of the province,
municipality directly under the Central Government, and autonomous region"
refer to the resident representative offices of foreign enterprises
approved before the promulgation of the "Interim Provisions" by the State
Council on October 30, 1980. Applications for the setting up of resident
representative offices submitted by foreign enterprises after the
promulgation of the "Interim Provisions" shall be handled in accordance
with the "Interim Provisions".
(12) In the event that foreign businessmen apply for permission to set up
resident representative offices in cities other than Beijing, with the
exception of such trades as banking or air transportation - the
applications shall be submitted directly to the competent departments
listed in Article 4 of the "Interim Provisions", all other trades shall,
in light of the nature of their respective businesses, apply accordingly
to the local bureau of foreign trade or bureau of communications of the
province, municipality directly under the Central Government, or
autonomous region, or to the departments or bureaus in the localities,
which have a direct business relationship with the ministries, commissions
or bureaus under the State Council; and the aforesaid departments shall,
in turn, write their comments on the written applications and forward
same, for examination and approval, to the competent departments concerned
listed in Article 4 of the "Interim Provisions".
(13) With the exception of such trades as banking and air transportation,
in case that foreign businessmen apply for the permission to set up
resident representative offices in the two provinces of Guangdong and
Fujian, their applications shall be submitted to the provincial
governments for examination and approval. In case that resident
representative offices are to be set up in the Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Xiamen
Special Economic Zones, the applications shall be submitted for
examination and approval to the provincial committee for the
administration of special economic zones.
(14) If enterprises established and run abroad by overseas Chinese, by
compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, wish to set up resident
representative offices in China
(including Guangdong and Fujian Provinces and the special economic zones),
their applications shall be dealt with reference to the "Interim
Provisions" and this Clarification.
(15) Should problems arise in the course of the execution of the "Interim
Provisions" and of this Clarification, and that explanation and solutions
are called for, they shall be handled through coordination and
consultation by the State Commission for the Administration of Foreign
Investments.