Published by ChinaMNC · Lezhi

China's Government Information Disclosure System: What Foreign Founders Need to Know

A practical guide for international founders on how China's government information disclosure platform works, and how it supports company registration, licensing, and ongoing compliance in China.

Why This Government Platform Matters for Your China Company

China's central government operates an official information disclosure platform that publishes regulations, notices, and annual reports from State Council departments, provincial governments, and vertically managed systems. For a foreign founder setting up or running a company in China, this is the primary official channel for checking the rules that apply to registration, licensing, tax, and compliance. The source page is a directory rather than a single policy, so this article explains what the platform contains and how to use it in practice.

What the Platform Publishes

Core regulations on information disclosure

The platform lists the Regulations of the People's Republic of China on Open Government Information, dated 15 April 2019. It also lists several State Council General Office notices that shape how information is released, including:

• A notice on measures for formulating public information disclosure rules for public enterprises and institutions (21 December 2020).
• A notice on measures for managing fees for handling government information disclosure requests (1 December 2020).
• A notice transmitting Ministry of Justice guidance on handling administrative reconsideration cases involving government information disclosure (4 January 2022).
• A notice on centralized and dynamically updated publication of departmental rules (29 October 2021).
• A notice on the format of annual government information disclosure work reports (29 September 2021).
• A notice on matters relating to standardizing government information disclosure platforms (3 December 2019).

Interpretations on making requests

The platform also carries a series of official interpretations from the State Council General Office's government information and open government affairs office. These cover how requests are handled after institutional reform (11 February 2019), which channels can receive requests (24 October 2017), which body is responsible for replying (24 October 2017), how annual report fields are completed (24 October 2017), how decisions are delivered (24 October 2017), and how to distinguish information disclosure from general business inquiries (24 October 2017).

Planning Documents You Can Monitor

The platform indexes national economic and social development plans, including the 15th Five-Year Plan outline and the 14th Five-Year Plan and 2035 long-range objectives outline, alongside earlier five-year outlines and the 10th Five-Year Plan outline. It also lists sector-specific plans, such as State Council approvals and notices on special education, intellectual property protection and utilization, national fitness (2026-2030), consumption expansion, national health, and traditional Chinese medicine development.

For a founder, these plans indicate where policy attention and licensing priorities are heading. They are planning documents, not registration rules, so treat them as context rather than as direct requirements for your entity.

Annual Disclosure Reports by Authority

The platform publishes annual government information disclosure work reports for 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. These are organized by:

• Provincial-level governments — all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, from Beijing and Tianjin to Xinjiang.
• Vertically managed systems — including the People's Bank of China system, customs, tax, financial regulation, securities regulation, meteorology, grain and strategic reserves, tobacco, railway, civil aviation, postal, mining safety, and foreign exchange systems.
• State Council departments — a long list including the Ministry of Commerce, State Taxation Administration, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Financial Regulatory Administration, China Securities Regulatory Commission, National Intellectual Property Administration, National Data Administration, and many others.

These reports show which authorities publish what, and can help you identify the correct regulator for a given license or filing.

How to Use the Platform for Registration and Compliance

Step 1: Identify the relevant authority

Use the departmental and vertical-system lists to find the body that governs your sector. Market regulation, tax, commerce, and industry-specific regulators each appear in the directory.

Step 2: Search the policy database

The platform's policy search returns a sequence number, title, document number, date of formation, and publication date for each item. If no results appear, the page suggests checking the input, simplifying the search terms, or trying similar or common words.

Step 3: File an information disclosure request if needed

Where a document is not published, the interpretations explain the request channels, the responsible reply body, and how decisions are delivered. Note that a fee management measure for handling requests exists, so requests may carry processing fees.

Step 4: Track annual reports for regulatory context

Reading the annual report of your sector regulator or provincial government gives a picture of how actively that body discloses rules and data, which is useful when preparing filings or responding to inspections.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

• Verify rules at the source. Before choosing an entity type, registered capital, or business scope, check the relevant department's published rules on this platform rather than relying on secondary summaries.
• Know the request route. If a rule you need is not published, the platform documents how to make a disclosure request and which body must answer.
• Watch planning documents for direction. Five-year plans and sector plans signal where licensing and policy support may concentrate.
• Use annual reports to map regulators. The departmental and vertical-system lists are a practical directory for compliance planning.
• Budget for possible fees. Information handling fees may apply to disclosure requests under the 2020 measures.

What the Platform Does Not Provide

The source is a directory and search interface. It does not itself set out company registration procedures, capital rules, or tax rates. Founders should treat it as a gateway to official documents and confirm specific requirements with the competent authority or a qualified adviser before acting.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Need help? Foreign founders can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp or WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for assistance with registering and operating a company in China.