【立法动态 Judicial News】

1. 国家外汇局：深化跨国公司跨境资金集中运营管理改革

1. SAFE Deepens Regulatory Reform of Centralized Operation of Cross-border Funds of Multinational Companies

背景摘要：近日，国家外汇管理局发出《跨国公司跨境资金集中运营管理规定》（下称《规定》），自发布之日起实施。

Background Information：The State Administration of Foreign Exchange ("SAFE") has recently released the Administrative Provisions on the Centralized Operation of Cross-border Funds of Multinational Companies (the "Provisions") which have gone into effect immediately from the date of issuance.

《规定》主要内容包括：一是简政放权。二是扩充新的政策红利。三是调整优化账户功能。四是取消合作银行不超过3家的限制，取消企业在备案前“应明确外债、境外放款集中额度在各家开户银行的具体分配”限制。五是取消手工报表，通过电子化手段及时采集相关数据。六是加强事中事后监管。根据《规定》，简化外债和境外放款登记管理，对跨境资金集中运营项下的外债和境外放款实行“一次性登记”。同时，允许跨国公司备案后直接开展资本项目收入结汇支付便利化改革试点。跨国公司主办企业以国内资金主账户为主办理跨境资金集中运营各项业务，国内资金主账户为多币种（含人民币）账户，账户币种和数量均无限制。

The Provisions are mainly intended for: 1. streamlining administration and delegating power; 2. augmenting benefits brought by new policies; 3. adjusting and optimizing account functions; 4. lifting the previous limit that there should be at most three partner banks, and removing the restriction that an enterprises shall "clearly specify how the foreign debts and the centralized quotas of overseas loans are distributed among banks where it has opened accounts, before undergoing the record-filing process"; 5. substituting the timely collection of relevant data by electronic means for the previous manual reporting; and 6. intensifying the in-process and ex-post regulation. According to the Provisions, administration of the registration of foreign debts and overseas loans is streamlined by operating the "one-time registration" policy for foreign debts and overseas loans under the centralized operation of cross-border funds. Meanwhile, after completing the record-filing process, a multinational corporation is allowed to be directly engaged in the pilot reform for the facilitation of foreign exchange settlement and payment of income derived from capital projects. A multinational company may handle various business in relation to the centralized operation of cross-border funds, mainly through its founder's main account for domestic funds; such main account is a multi-currency (RMB applicable) account, and there are no limits on the types of applicable currency or on how many such accounts could be opened.

盈科评论：新政充分提高了企业跨境资金池操作的便利化。将人民币纳入其中，形成包含人民币和外汇的一体化跨境资金池，这避免了企业按两套规则设立人民币和外汇两套跨境资金池，为企业的日常使用减少了大量工作，提高了效率，也使我国境内跨境资金池的运用进一步和国际接轨。此外，大幅简化的外债和境外放款登记，并实行资本项目外汇收入结汇支付便利化，为企业跨境资金池在资本项下的使用增加了许多便利。

Yingke Comment’s：The new policy has fully improved the convenience of the operation of cross-border capital pools. Incorporating RMB into the formation of an integrated cross-border capital pool including RMB and foreign exchange, which avoids the establishment of two sets of cross-border funds pools of RMB and foreign exchange according to two sets of rules, which reduces a lot of work and improves efficiency for daily use of enterprises. It also makes the use of cross-border funds pools in China more in line with international standards. In addition, the greatly simplified foreign debt and overseas lending registration, and the implementation of capital account foreign exchange income settlement and payment facilitation, increased the convenience of the use of cross-border capital pools under the capital account.

2. 最高法：为深化两岸融合发展提供司法服务

2.SPC Pledges Judicial Services for Deepening Cross-strait Integrated Development

背景摘要：日前，最高人民法院印发《关于为深化两岸融合发展提供司法服务的若干措施》（下称《若干措施》）。

Background Information：The Supreme People's Court ("SPC") has recently issued the Several Measures on Providing Judicial Services for Deepening Cross-strait Integrated Development (the "Several Measures").

《若干措施》是最高法院历史上首次发布的依法全面平等保护台湾同胞合法权益的系统性、综合性措施，也是首次发布的为深化两岸融合发展提供司法服务的规范性、实效性措施。《若干措施》以促进两岸经济文化交流合作、深化两岸融合发展为主题，以依法全面平等保护台湾同胞合法权益为主线，共从四个方面规定了36条措施。其中有12条措施涉及公正高效审理案件，全面保障台湾同胞的诉讼权利；有9条措施涉及完善便民利民措施，为台湾同胞提供优质司法服务；有7条措施涉及加强司法组织机构建设，为服务台湾同胞进一步健全保障机制；有8条措施涉及扩大台湾同胞参与司法工作，推动两岸司法交流。

The Several Measures are the first systematic and comprehensive measures of this kind launched by the SPC for legally, fully and equally protecting lawful rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots, and also the first ever normative and effective initiative to offer judicial services for deepening cross-strait integrated development. With the aim of promoting cross-strait economic and cultural exchange and cooperation and deepening cross-strait integrated development and with the focus on equally safeguarding lawful rights and interests of Taiwan compatriots according to law and in all aspects, the Several Measures outline 36 measures in four respects, among them, 12 measures are launched for the fair and efficient trial of cases and expected to completely safeguard the litigation right of Taiwan compatriots; another nine measures are aimed at providing people with more convenience and benefits, in order to offer Taiwan compatriots good-quality judicial services; there are seven measures in respect of stepping up the building of judicial organs, to further optimize the safeguard mechanism for services delivered to Taiwan compatriots; and the remaining eight measures are intended for expanding the participation of Taiwan compatriots in judicial work to facilitate judicial exchange between the mainland and Taiwan.

盈科评论：《若干措施》立足深化两岸融合发展，为台胞台企提供同等待遇，提出了四大方面、36条措施。一是要坚持公正高效司法，依法保障台胞台企各项实体权利和诉讼权利。二是要完善涉台案件的全流程便民利民措施，为台胞台企提供优质便捷的司法服务。三是逐步扩大台胞参与司法，为广大台胞投入国家法治建设创造更好条件。四是加强涉台审判执行组织机构建设，不断提高管理保障水平。

Yingke Comments：The "Several Measures" are based on deepening the development of cross-strait integration, providing equal treatment for Taiwanese and Taiwan enterprises, and proposing four major aspects and 36 measures. First, we must uphold fair and efficient justice, and protect the various substantive rights and litigation rights of Taiwanese companies in Taiwan. Second, we must improve the whole process of Taiwan-related cases and facilitate the people and the people, and provide high-quality and convenient judicial services for Taiwanese enterprises. The third is to gradually expand the participation of Taiwan compatriots in the judiciary and create better conditions for the majority of Taiwan compatriots to invest in the rule of law in the country. And the fourth is to strengthen the construction of organizational structures for Taiwan-related trials and continuously improve the level of management and support

【商业热点 Business Focus】    

3. 海关总署简化综合保税区进出区管理

3.GAC Streamlines Administration of Entry into and Exit from Comprehensive Bonded Areas

新闻综述：近日，海关总署发布2019年第50号公告，明确将简化综合保税区进出区管理，公告自发布之日起施行。

News Brief：The General Administration of Customs ("GAC") has recently issued the Announcement [2019] No. 50 to clarify the streamlined administration of entry into and exit from comprehensive bonded areas. This announcement has taken effect immediately from the date of issuance.

根据公告，简化综合保税区进出区管理是指允许对境内入区的不涉出口关税、不涉贸易管制证件、不要求退税且不纳入海关统计的货物、物品，实施便捷进出区管理模式。公告规定，适用便捷进区管理模式的货物、物品具体范围包括“区内的基础设施、生产厂房、仓储设施建设过程中所需的机器、设备、基建物资”等八类。上述货物、物品可不采用报关单、备案清单方式办理进区手续；如需出区实行与进区相同的便捷管理模式。区内企业做好便捷进出区的日常记录，相关情况可追溯。公告还指出，区内企业有“未如实办理货物、物品便捷进出区”等三类情形之一的，海关可暂停办理上述货物、物品简化进出区手续。

According to the announcement, streamlining administration of entry into and exit from comprehensive bonded areas means adopting a simplified administrative mode under which domestic goods and items are allowed to enter and leave such areas in a convenient manner if they are neither subject to export tariffs, trade control certificates, or tax refunds, nor covered by the customs' statistical surveys. The announcement stipulates that the scope of goods and items eligible for the said simplified administrative mode covers eight categories, including "machines, equipment and capital construction materials necessary for the building of infrastructure, production buildings and storage facilities within the comprehensive bonded areas". For the abovesaid goods and items, it is allowed to go through entry formalities without submitting the customs declaration documents or record-filing lists; where there is a need to transport these goods or items out of the comprehensive bonded areas, the same simplified administrative mode as that under which they enter these areas applies. Enterprises within the comprehensive bonded areas shall keep good daily records of goods and items entering and leaving the areas under the simplified administrative mode, to make sure relevant situations are traceable. Moreover, the announcement states that the customs may suspend the processing of formalities for entry into or exit from the comprehensive bonded areas under the simplified administrative mode, for the aforesaid goods and items, under any of three circumstances, including "where the enterprise within the comprehensive bonded area fails to handle in a truthful manner the entry or exit for these goods or items".

盈科评论：综合保税区是开放型经济的重要平台，对发展对外贸易、吸引外商投资、促进产业转型升级发挥着重要作用。为加快综合保税区创新升级，打造对外开放新高地，对标高质量发展要求，完善政策，拓展功能，创新监管，培育综合保税区产业配套、营商环境等综合竞争新优势，海关总署需要简化综合保税区设立、整合的审核和验收程序，以进一步提高综合保税区发展质量。

Yingke Comments：The Comprehensive Bonded Zone is an important platform for an open economy and plays an important role in developing foreign trade, attracting foreign investment, and promoting industrial transformation and upgrading. In order to speed up the innovation and upgrading of the comprehensive bonded zone, create a new highland for opening up to the outside world, benchmark the high-quality development requirements, improve policies, expand functions, innovate supervision, and cultivate new competitive advantages such as industrial support and business environment in the comprehensive bonded area, the General Administration of Customs needs to simplify the  audit and acceptance procedures of establishment and integration of comprehensive bonded area to further improve the quality of the development of the comprehensive bonded zone.

【官方政策解读 Policy Interpretation】

推动外商投资法律制度与时俱进

Promote the legal system of foreign investment to keep pace with the times

1. 制定外商投资法是我国重构外商投资法律体系的客观要求

1. Formulating the Foreign Investment Law is an Objective Requirement for Restructuring the Foreign Investment Law System in China

改革开放40年，尽管我国已经形成了以“外资三法”为基础，以相关部门法为配套，同时以行政法规、部门规章等为补充的外商投资法律体系，但仍有必要从体系和制度上重构我国的外商投资法律体系，这是国际、国内经贸和投资形势发展变化的要求，更是我国外资管理制度改革与经济体制改革的需要。

In the 40 years of reform and opening up, although China has formed a foreign investment legal system based on the "three foreign laws" , supported by relevant departmental laws, and supplemented by administrative regulations and departmental regulations, it is still necessary to  reconstruct China's foreign investment legal system. It is a requirement for the development of international and domestic economic and trade and investment situations, and it is also the need for China's foreign investment management system reform and economic system reform.

我国的“外资三法”实际上是融商业组织法与外商投资法为一体的混合性立法，这些法律制度曾为我国外商投资企业提供了有力的法治保障。但是，随着我国公司法、合伙企业法等市场主体法律制度的逐步完善，随着内外资企业的一致性，“外资三法”已不适应新时代改革开放的要求，外商投资行为的促进、保护与管理也很难系统地在“外资三法”中实现。因此，《中共中央国务院关于构建开放型经济新体制的若干意见》就要求“制定新的外资基础性法律，将规范和引导境外投资者及其投资行为的内容纳入外资基础性法律。对于外资企业组织形式、经营活动等一般内容，可由统一适用于各类市场主体法律法规加以规范的，按照内外资一致的原则，适用统一的法律法规”。可以说，外商投资法的制定具有必要性、可行性、紧迫性。

China's "three foreign laws" is actually a combination of commercial organization law and foreign investment law. These legal systems have provided a strong rule of law for foreign investment companies. However, with the gradual improvement of the legal system of market entities such as the Company Law and the Partnership Enterprise Law in China, with the consistency of domestic and foreign-funded enterprises, the "three foreign laws" have not adapted to the requirements of reform and opening up in the new era, and the promotion, protection and management of foreign investment behavior,  are also difficult to implement systematically in the “three foreign laws”. Therefore, "Several Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Building a New Open Economy System" requires "developing new basic foreign-funded laws, and integrating the content of regulating and guiding foreign investors and their investment behaviors into foreign-funded basic laws. The general content such as organizational form and business activities of foreign-funded enterprises can be standardized by the laws and regulations in accordance with the principle of consistent domestic and foreign investment and uniform laws and regulations applied to various market entities." It can be said that the formulation of the foreign investment law is necessary, feasible and urgent.

2.外商投资法是我国坚持对外开放基本国策的立法表达

2.The Foreign Investment Law is the legislative expression of China's adherence to the basic national policy of opening to the outside world.

改革开放和利用外资是我国进行社会主义现代化建设的必然选择。十一届三中全会作出了中国要实行改革开放的历史性决策。邓小平同志指出，任何一个国家要发展，孤立起来，闭关自守是不可能的。1986年国务院发布了《关于鼓励外商投资的规定》；1998年中共中央、国务院发布了《关于进一步扩大对外开放，提高利用外资水平的若干意见》；2010年国务院发布了《关于进一步做好利用外资工作的若干意见》；2015年中共中央、国务院发布了《关于构建开放型经济新体制的若干意见》，对创新外商投资管理体制作出了全面部署。习近平总书记指出，过去40年中国经济发展是在开放条件下取得的，未来中国经济实现高质量发展也必须在更加开放条件下进行。

Reform and opening up and the use of foreign capital are inevitable choices for China's socialist modernization drive. The Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee made a historic decision on China to implement reform and opening up. Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out that it is impossible for any country to develop, isolate, and shut itself down. n 1986, the State Council promulgated the "Regulations on Encouraging Foreign Investment"; in 1998, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued "Several Opinions on Further Expanding Opening to the Outside World and Raising the Level of Utilizing Foreign Capital"; In 2010, the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Further Improving the Use of Foreign Capital"; in 2015, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Several Opinions on Building a New Open Economy System", which fully deployed the innovative foreign investment management system. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that China's economic development has been achieved under open conditions in the past 40 years. In the future, China's economy must achieve high-quality development under more open conditions.

外商投资法明确规定：“国家坚持对外开放的基本国策，鼓励外国投资者依法在中国境内投资；国家实行高水平投资自由化便利化政策，建立和完善外商投资促进机制，营造稳定、透明、可预期和公平竞争的市场环境。”这是我国坚持对外开放基本国策的立法体现，可以期待的是，我国全面开放的新格局会推动改革、带动创新、促进发展，也会进一步坚定外商投资的信心与决心。

The Foreign Investment Law clearly stipulates: "The state adheres to the basic national policy of opening to the outside world and encourages foreign investors to invest in China according to law; the state implements a high-level investment liberalization and facilitation policy, establishes and improves foreign investment promotion mechanisms, and creates stable, transparent and predictable and fair market environment."

3.外商投资法将为外商投资提供更有力的法治保障

3.Foreign Investment Law will provide a stronger rule of law for foreign investment

从外商投资法的章节结构以及具体条文中，可以发现促进与保护是外商投资法的主基调，这也是我国外资政策的主基调，而保护外商投资者权益则是外商投资法基石制度之一。近年来，我国大力改善营商环境取得明显成效，但仍有一些外商的批评与质疑，如在政府采购中有时存在排斥外资企业在中国生产的产品的现象；有的跨国企业认为我国的知识产权保护力度还不够等。

From the chapter structure and specific provisions of the Foreign Investment Law, it can be found that promotion and protection is the main tone of the foreign investment law, which is also the main tone of China's foreign investment policy, and protecting the rights of foreign investors is one of the cornerstone systems of foreign investment law. In recent years, China has made remarkable efforts to improve the business environment, but there are still some foreign investors who criticize and question. For example, in government procurement, there are sometimes phenomena that exclude foreign-funded enterprises from producing products in China. Some multinational companies believe that China’s the protection of intellectual property rights is not enough.

外商投资法则正面回应了外商关切，在总则部分明确规定：“国家依法保护外国投资者在中国境内的投资、收益和其他合法权益。”在投资促进一章明确规定：“国家保障外商投资企业依法通过公平竞争参与政府采购活动。政府采购依法对外商投资企业在中国境内生产的产品平等对待。”在投资保护一章明确规定：“国家保护外国投资者和外商投资企业的知识产权，保护知识产权权利人和相关权利人的合法权益，鼓励基于自愿原则和商业规则开展技术合作。外商投资过程中技术合作的条件由投资各方遵循公平原则平等协商确定，行政机关及其工作人员不得利用行政手段强制转让技术。”因此，外商投资法将会为外商投资提供有力的法治保障，也一定会增强中国市场对外商投资的吸引力。

The Foreign Investment Law positively responds to foreign concerns and clearly states in the general rules: “The state protects the investment, income and other legitimate rights and interests of foreign investors in China in accordance with the law.” In the chapter on investment promotion, it is clearly stated: “The state guarantees that foreign-invested enterprises participate in government procurement activities through fair competition according to law. Government procurement treats products produced in China by foreign-invested enterprises equally.” The chapter on investment protection clearly states: “The State protects the intellectual property rights of foreign investors and foreign-invested enterprises, protects the legitimate rights and interests of intellectual property rights holders and related rights holders, and encourages technical cooperation based on voluntary principles and business rules. In the process of foreign investment, the conditions for technical cooperation shall be determined by the parties to the investment in accordance with the principle of fairness and equal consultation, and the administrative organs and their staff shall not use administrative means to force the transfer of technology."

本文版权归作者所有，对于本文有任何意见或者建议，欢迎和作者取得联系。沈彦炜，全球合伙人，邮箱：shenyanwei@yingkelawyer.com

All right reserved. If you have any suggestion, please feel free to contact me. Sean Shen, Global Partner, E-mail: shenyanwei@yingkelawyer.com