Shanghai Details 2026 Business Plan, Highlighting Support for Emerging Industries

Shanghai's 2026 business environment action plan places emphasis on emerging industries, standardized regulation and reduced administrative interference, city officials said on Thursday.

The 2026 Action Plan for Creating a World-Class Business Environment released earlier this week, known as Version 9.0, sets out 26 measures aimed at improving government services, market competition, industrial development and regulatory enforcement for companies operating in the city, including foreign-invested firms.

Officials said the plan focuses on lowering institutional costs for businesses while improving regulatory clarity and consistency.

Gu Jun, director of the Shanghai Development and Reform Commission, said business environment reform remains central to the city's development strategy.

"A world-class business environment is like sunshine, water and air," Gu added. "It integrates into every stage and detail of enterprise development."

One part of the plan addresses the rapid growth of new business models, including animation, gaming, short-form digital content and platform-based services.

Officials said regulatory responsibilities for activities such as short dramas and animation-related events will be clarified. Approval processes will be made more transparent, with shorter timelines.

The plan also calls for stronger governance of online platform algorithms. Authorities said this is intended to curb unfair practices, including malicious low-price competition.

Reduced inspection burden

The action plan expands the use of Shanghai's digital inspection code system to further limit unnecessary government checks.

Inspectors must present a QR (quick response) code during inspections. The code shows the inspection task, scope and enforcement officers' names.

Inspections follow a formal process: A code is assigned in advance, checks are conducted only with the code, and companies can later scan it to provide feedback.

Liu Yanhao, deputy director of the Shanghai Justice Bureau, said more than 703,000 inspection codes were issued last year. Companies with strong compliance records will face fewer on-site inspections under the city's "credit + risk" approach.

Market regulators said the plan strengthens measures against profit-driven complaints that disrupt normal business operations.

Chen Rui, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation, said the city has established an "abnormalities directory" to identify individuals who repeatedly abuse complaint and reporting systems for financial gain.

Information from the directory will be shared across regulatory, judicial and complaint-handling departments. Complaints filed by listed individuals will be subject to stricter review, in line with the law.

Shanghai has released business environment action plans for nine consecutive years.

According to city officials, corporate survey results from the World Bank released in late 2025 showed Shanghai reached global best-practice levels in 22 assessment items.

In those areas, Shanghai outperformed Singapore, New York, London, Hong Kong and Seoul, they said.