World Trade
Organization S/C/N/525
21 October 2009 (095190) Council for Trade in Services Original: English

NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE III:3 OF THEGENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES

The following notification from the delegation of the People's Republic of China, dated 15 October 2009, is being circulated to the Members of the Council for Trade in Services.
_______________

Member notifying:
The People's Republic of China

Notification under:
Article III, paragraph 3, of the General Agreement on Trade in Services

Date of entry into force:
1 May 2009

Agency responsible for implementation and enforcement of the measure:
National Tourism Administration; Ministry of Commerce

Description of the measure:
Regulation
s on Travel
Agencies
The
R
egulations abolishes the previous classification methods of types of travel agencies and unify previous different market access requirements and procedures for those engaging in domestic t
ravel
services and those inbound travel services.
The Regulations abolishes the requirement on a minimum amount of RMB4 million registered capital for Sino-foreign joint venture and cooperative travel agencies; cancel the requirement on investors of foreign-invested travel agencies; abolish the restrictions on foreign-invested travel agencies which are not allowed to open branches in China.

W
hen the
Regulations
on Travel Agencies being put into effect, the former Regulations on Administration of the Travel Agencies have been abolished, meanwhile, the
Interim Provisions on the Establishment of Foreign-Controlled and Wholly Foreign-funded Travel Agencies
as well as the revised edition and the supplementary provisions to these provisions will be abolished soon.