Published by ChinaMNC · Shuncheng

How China's Government Information Disclosure System Works: A Guide for Foreign Founders

A practical overview of China's government information disclosure platform, its legal framework, and what foreign founders need to know when seeking official documents and annual reports.

Understanding China's Government Information Disclosure Platform

For foreign founders setting up or running a company in China, access to official government information is essential for compliance, planning, and due diligence. The Chinese government operates a centralized platform for government information disclosure, which serves as a portal for laws, regulations, plans, and annual reports. This article explains what the platform contains and how foreign founders can use it, based only on the information published on the official site.

What Is Government Information Disclosure?

The platform is designed to make government information publicly available. It includes a search function for policies, with fields such as document number, drafting date, and publication date. The site also provides a directory of regulations and notices related to government information disclosure itself. For foreign founders, this means you can find the legal basis for how government information is managed and accessed.

Key Regulations and Notices

The platform lists several important documents that govern information disclosure. These include:

• The Regulation of the People's Republic of China on Open Government Information (dated 2019-04-15).
• A notice from the General Office of the State Council on measures for formulating public information disclosure rules for public enterprises and institutions (2020-12-21).
• A notice on measures for managing fees for processing government information disclosure requests (2020-12-01).
• A notice forwarding the Ministry of Justice's guidance on issues related to administrative reconsideration of government information disclosure cases (2022-01-04).
• Notices on centralized disclosure and dynamic updating of rules (2021-10-29), on the format of annual reports on government information disclosure (2021-09-29), and on standardizing government information disclosure platforms (2019-12-03).
• Several interpretations clarifying issues such as handling applications after institutional reforms (2019-02-11), channels for receiving applications (2017-10-24), the subject of replies to applications (2017-10-24), filling out annual report items (2017-10-24), delivery of processing decisions (2017-10-24), and the boundary between government information disclosure and business inquiry matters (2017-10-24).

These documents form the procedural backbone for how foreign founders can request information and what to expect in terms of process and fees.

National Development Plans

The platform provides access to national economic and social development plans, including the outlines for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) and previous plans going back to the 10th Five-Year Plan. For foreign founders, these plans can indicate priority sectors and long-term policy directions. However, the platform only lists the titles; the full texts are available through links.

There are also specialized plans, such as:

• An action plan for special education development (15th Five-Year Plan period).
• A plan for intellectual property protection and utilization (15th Five-Year Plan period).
• A national fitness plan (2026-2030).
• A plan for expanding consumption (15th Five-Year Plan period).
• A national health plan (15th Five-Year Plan period).
• A plan for the revitalization and development of traditional Chinese medicine (15th Five-Year Plan period).

These specialized plans may be relevant if your business operates in these areas.

Local Development Plans

The platform also links to local development plans for provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang. Foreign founders can use these to understand regional priorities.

Annual Reports on Government Information Disclosure

The platform publishes annual reports on government information disclosure for various years, including 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. These reports are available for:

• Provincial-level governments (the same list of provinces and regions as above).
• Vertically managed systems, such as the People's Bank of China, customs, taxation, financial supervision, securities regulation, meteorology, grain and strategic reserves, tobacco, railway, civil aviation, postal services, mining safety, fire rescue, and foreign exchange.
• State Council departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Ministry of Commerce, People's Bank of China, State Taxation Administration, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Financial Regulatory Administration, China Securities Regulatory Commission, National Intellectual Property Administration, and many others.

These annual reports provide transparency on how government information disclosure is implemented across different agencies and regions. For foreign founders, they can be a useful resource to understand the volume and types of information disclosed.

How Foreign Founders Can Use This Platform

When you need official information—whether for compliance, market research, or dispute resolution—the platform is a starting point. You can search for policies by title, document number, or date. If a search returns no results, the site suggests checking for input errors, simplifying search terms, or using similar or common words.

It is important to note that the platform is a gateway; the full texts of many documents are linked from the listings. Some information may be available only in Chinese, so you may need translation assistance.

Additionally, if you need to request information that is not publicly available, the regulations and interpretations listed above outline the process, including how to submit a request, what fees may apply, and how decisions are delivered. The interpretations clarify that there is a boundary between government information disclosure and general business inquiries, which means not all information requests will be handled under the disclosure regime.

Practical Takeaways

• Use the platform to find the legal framework for government information disclosure, including the 2019 Regulation and subsequent notices.
• Consult national and local development plans to identify policy priorities that may affect your business.
• Review annual reports to understand how agencies and regions handle information disclosure.
• Be aware of the procedures and fees for making information requests, as outlined in the official documents.
• Remember that the platform is a directory; full texts and updates may require following links and checking for the latest versions.

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