1. INTRODUCTION
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen for
centuries. At the end of 2022, China formally
decided to scrap the most of Covid-19 restrictions. Regardless of
the feeble and faltering recovery of economy, the incessant
influence of COVID-19, and the rampant unilateralism and
protectionism, China continues to build up its opening-up layout.
Market access will be broadened, free trade zones will make further
progress and the opening of free trade ports will be explored.
These efforts will facilitate all-round opening-up by linking east
and west and connecting the land and the sea. Meanwhile, the
negative lists of foreign investment access in the country and the
pilot free trade zones (PFTZs) were reduced to 31 and 27 entries
respectively. Particularly, entries for the manufacturing industry
were reduced to zero in the negative list for PFTZs. The 2022
version of the "Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign
Investment" aims to expand
