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The General Office of the State Council
Circular of the General Office of the State Council Concerning the Transmission of a 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 on the Administration of Resident Representative Offices of Foreign Enterprises
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 on the Administration of 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.
The General Office of the State Council
August 3, 1981
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 on the Administrative of
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 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 non-profit 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 as resident representative 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 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 “documentation as to creditworthiness issued by the financial institutions”, 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 non-profit foreign economic organization applies for permission to set up its resident representative office, it may be exempt
from presenting the documentation as to creditworthiness required in Article 3 of the “Interim Provisions”.
(4)
“Enterprises outside these lines of business”, 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 non-profit foreign economic organizations, which are the counterparts of the China Council for the Promotion
of International Trade, their applications for 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 with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
With respect to foreign businessmen in the trust and investment trades, their applications for 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 with the China International Trust and Investment Corporation.
(5)
In the event that several foreign enterprises of different trades jointly apply for 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, 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 to set up 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 approval, the
foreign enterprise concerned shall apply to the department for administration of industry and commerce for registration.
If resident representative offices are to be set up in China in accordance with an 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 General Administration
for Industry and Commerce. The departments for administration of industry and commerce shall, after the foreign enterprise concerned
has gone through the registration procedures, notify without delay the State Commission for the Administration of Foreign Investments,
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Taxation Administration
under the Ministry of Finance.
With respect to foreign enterprises in the trust and investment trades which apply for 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 China International Trust and Investment Corporation.
With respect to those non-profit foreign economic organizations, which are the counterparts of the China Council for the Promotion
of International Trade applying for 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 China Council for the
Promotion of International Trade.
(8)
Article 5 of the “Interim Provisions” reads: “The original approval document shall be turned over in case of failure to register
at the expiring of the specific period”. An applicant shall go through the procedures for registration with the department for 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 the
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 “address”, as mentioned in Article 7 of the “Interim Provisions”, refers to a 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 address. The resident representative
office concerned is required to notify, without delay, change of the address of the 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 address 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)
The engagement of working personnel by the resident representative office of a foreign enterprise 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 foreign affairs services and of the labor department.
(11)
Article 4 of “Circular Concerning Registration of Resident Representative Offices of Foreign Enterprises” promulgated by the General
Administration for Industry arid 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 government
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 to set up 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-die 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 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 explanations and solutions
are called for, they shall be handled through coordination and consultation by the State Commission for the Administration of Foreign
Investments.
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