Published by ChinaMNC · Guyuan

China's State Council Issues Second 2026 Batch of 'One-Stop Service' Priority Items

Foreign founders operating in China should note the State Council's September 2026 notice expanding 'efficiently handle one matter' service reforms, including a push to extend streamlined government services into market access, high-level opening-up and business environment areas.

What the Notice Says

China's General Office of the State Council has issued a notice circulating the second batch of priority items for 2026 under the "efficiently handle one matter" (高效办成一件事) initiative. The notice, numbered Guobanhan [2026] No. 84, is dated 20 September 2026 and was publicly released on 23 September 2026. The list itself has already received State Council approval and is now being distributed to provincial governments, ministries and directly affiliated agencies for implementation.

For foreign founders setting up or running a company in China, the notice is a signal about how government services are being reorganised: the aim is to let businesses and individuals complete related administrative procedures through coordinated, single-window processes rather than separate applications to multiple departments.

Implementation Requirements for Local Authorities

The notice directs all regions and departments to implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council on improving government services and advancing the "efficiently handle one matter" reform. Key requirements include:

• Problem-oriented and goal-oriented approach: authorities are told to combine both perspectives when carrying out the work.
• Correct view of performance: officials are instructed to establish and practise a proper understanding of administrative achievement.
• Building on existing items: the second batch is to be implemented in a coordinated way while already-launched priority items continue to be improved.
• Practical implementation: regions and departments are to organise implementation in light of their own actual circumstances.

Expanding the Reform's Scope

The notice calls for further strengthening the "efficiently handle one matter" concept and steadily widening the fields and scope to which it applies. Specifically, it identifies several areas where the reform should be extended to more fields and on a larger scale:

• building a unified national market;
• expanding high-level opening-up;
• promoting coordinated regional development;
• optimising the business environment.

These are stated as policy objectives in the notice; the text does not set out specific measures, timetables or commitments for each area.

The Whole Lifecycle Approach

A further instruction concerns the overall list of priority items covering the full lifecycle of business entities and individuals. Regions and departments are asked to work gradually, according to their local and departmental circumstances, towards fully implementing that overall list. The stated purpose is to keep raising the satisfaction and sense of gain of enterprises and the public.

For foreign founders, the "business entity lifecycle" framing is the relevant part: it suggests that administrative processes tied to setting up, changing and running a company are meant to be treated as connected stages rather than isolated filings. The notice does not, however, name the individual items in the second batch, describe application procedures, or specify which departments will handle them.

What This Means in Practice

Foreign founders should treat the notice as a policy direction rather than an immediate change to any particular procedure. It confirms that the central government is continuing to push coordinated, cross-department service delivery and is explicitly linking that work to the business environment and to opening-up. Companies planning registrations, licence applications or other government-facing processes in China may therefore see services organised around combined "matters" rather than single approvals, but the practical details will depend on how local authorities implement the list.

Because the notice delegates implementation to provinces and departments "in light of actual circumstances," the timing and form of any changes at the local level may vary. Founders should verify current requirements with the relevant local registration and regulatory authorities rather than relying on the notice alone.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Issuing body: General Office of the State Council
• Document number: Guobanhan [2026] No. 84
• Date of issue: 20 September 2026
• Publication date: 23 September 2026
• Subject: second batch of 2026 priority items under the "efficiently handle one matter" initiative
• Status: approved by the State Council and publicly released

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

Foreign founders who want help registering and operating a company in China can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp or WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.