The Office of the Leading Group for the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Greater Openness in the Services Sector (Beijing Two Zones Leading Group Office) recently issued the Key Tasks for Beijing’s Two Zones Development in 2026 (hereinafter referred to as the “Key Tasks”). The document sets out arrangements for the development of the Two Zones in 2026, specifying more than 160 tasks across five major areas. Lists of major tasks, key policy measures, and priority projects were released simultaneously, providing clear task assignments and a timetable for advancing the Two Zones’ development in 2026. Four keywords are particularly worth watching.
Keyword One: Institutional Opening Up
The Key Tasks proposes to “uphold institutional innovation as the core driver, and lead the opening up and development of the services sector through high-standard institutional opening up.” It makes clear that in 2026, Beijing will formulate and release its development plan for an economy featuring high-standard opening up during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, issue and implement the phase 3.0 work plan for the comprehensive demonstration zone for greater openness in the services sector, and accelerate the implementation of the Action Plan for the Strategy for Upgrading the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone. Beijing will also strive to become a national demonstration zone for innovative development of trade in services and a national digital trade demonstration zone, while promoting the establishment of a coordinated development area for the pilot free trade zone.
Greater openness in the services sector is a key part of China’s broader opening up efforts and a defining feature of Beijing’s own endeavor. As the country’s only Integrated National Demonstration Zone for Greater Openness in the Services Sector, Beijing has implemented nearly 300 dedicated development tasks approved by the State Council in two batches. Centering on the reform and opening up of key services sectors, the exploration of rules and standards for emerging business forms, and the optimization of trade and investment institutional arrangements, Beijing has carried out a series of first-of-its-kind pilot practices. The city has ranked first in every national evaluation of integrated pilot and demonstration programs for greater openness in the services sector, contributing Beijing’s practices to the establishment of a high-standard institutional system for opening up the services sector.
New measures have continued to generate new growth and bring in fresh momentum. In 2025, Beijing saw the establishment of more than 2,400 new foreign-funded enterprises, while its service exports grew by 11% year-on-year, both reaching record highs. These achievements have laid a solid foundation for further opening up the services sector and promoting the innovative development of trade in services. As an important platform for high-standard opening up, the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone was among the first nationwide to launch pilot programs aimed at aligning with high-standard international economic and trade rules and advancing institutional opening up. Its exemplary role has continued to strengthen, with its share of the city’s actual use of foreign capital rising from less than 10% at the time of its establishment to more than 50% in 2025.
Next, Beijing will implement the strategy for upgrading the China (Beijing) Pilot Free Trade Zone. By establishing the coordinated development area for the pilot free trade zone, Beijing will better leverage industrial connectivity and production factor coordination both inside and outside the zone. The city will also explore integrated innovation in key industrial chains across a broader scope, further amplifying the benefits of the free trade zone.
Keyword Two: Dual Drivers
The Key Tasks proposes to “leverage both industries and production factors as dual drivers, and promote the capital’s high-quality economic development through opening up and innovation.” It specifies that in 2026, Beijing will further advance pilot programs for greater openness in sectors such as value-added telecommunications and healthcare, deepen pilot innovation in the registration model for trust property, and enhance coordinated openness across key industries. The city will also formulate the phase 3.0 work plan for comprehensive supporting reforms for facilitating cross-border data flows, release the second negative list for outbound data flow, refine the catalog of recognized international professional qualifications, and continue to strengthen the synergy among various production factors.
Beijing has seized the opportunities brought by the Two Zones development and continued to take the lead in greater openness in the services sector. As one of the first cities/provinces in China to launch pilot programs for greater openness in sectors such as value-added telecommunications and healthcare, Beijing has seen more than 60 enterprises participate in these pilots, including many internationally renowned companies such as T-Systems China and Cummins China. The open development of the services sector depends on strong support from factors such as talent, data, and capital. Previously, Beijing introduced China’s first scenario-based and field-level negative list for outbound data flow in the pilot free trade zone, and issued the country’s first comprehensive reform document on outbound data flow. The diversity and approval rate of outbound data flow in Beijing both rank among the highest nationwide. Next, Beijing will focus on key areas such as medical devices, autonomous driving (intelligent connected vehicles), trade logistics, and banking, and move swiftly to release the second negative list for cross-border data transfers and promote its citywide implementation.
Keyword Three: Coordination Among Three Types of Zones
The Key Tasks proposes to “pursue coordinated development among the pilot free trade zones, comprehensive bonded zones, and specialized industrial parks, and strengthen and optimize platforms for high-standard opening up.” It specifies that in 2026, Beijing will highlight the leading role of the pilot free trade zone in opening up, and further build five free trade brands featuring innovation, digital intelligence, green development, convenience, and coordination. Specific tasks include exploring the establishment of a service and trading platform to support the global rollout of innovative drugs, promoting the development of infrastructure such as international offshore data centers, establishing and improving systems for green cost analysis and green pricing certification, optimizing the one-stop services of “Beijing Service” airport service points, and implementing the Action Plan for Coordinated Innovation Across the Entire Industrial Chain in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Pilot Free Trade Zones.
At the same time, Beijing will accelerate capability upgrades in its comprehensive bonded zones. The Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone will enhance the development of the pilot zone for the specialized supply of rare disease drugs; the Daxing International Airport Comprehensive Bonded Zone will continue to improve the operational efficiency of its zone-airport linkage corridor; the Zhongguancun Comprehensive Bonded Zone will explore an enterprise incubation model that combines technology-enabled property services with investment funds; and the Yizhuang Comprehensive Bonded Zone will attract major projects in sectors such as integrated circuits and biomedicine into the zone, with the aim of building a cluster for high-end bonded processing. Beijing will also support and guide various specialized industrial parks, including those focused on technology and high-end manufacturing, finance, cultural tourism and consumption, and policy functions, in improving quality and efficiency. As important vehicles for the Two Zones development, the pilot free trade zones, comprehensive bonded zones, and specialized industrial parks are tasked with carrying out differentiated pilots and tailored practices in line with their functional positioning, thereby accumulating experience for expanding high-standard opening up and building momentum for high-quality development.
Previously, the three types of zones, based on their respective resources, took the initiative to innovate and explore new practices. Through institutional innovation, they addressed bottlenecks and cultivated new functions, forming a number of pioneering practices. For example, the Beijing Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone established China’s first pilot zone for the specialized supply of rare disease drugs. By further optimizing the supply mechanism for rare disease drugs and other clinically urgently needed medicines with a focus on faster delivery, guaranteed supply volume, and full-process traceability, it has helped shift the model from “patients waiting for medicines” to “medicines waiting for patients.” In 2025, imports of rare disease drugs through the Tianzhu Comprehensive Bonded Zone exceeded RMB 27 billion, ranking first nationwide.
Keyword Four: Advancing Both “Bringing In” and “Going Global”
The Key Tasks proposes to “take a results-oriented approach to project implementation, and advance both high-quality ‘bringing in’ and high-standard ‘going global’.” It explicitly outlines that in 2026, Beijing will attract more new foreign-invested entities to establish a presence in the city, expand its network of global service partner enterprises, encourage foreign-invested enterprises to reinvest their profits, and strive to create new advantages in attracting foreign investment. Focusing on sectors such as artificial intelligence and biomedicine, Beijing will develop innovative approaches to investment promotion centered on industrial chains, application scenarios, and platforms, improve comprehensive exhibition and convention services, and host signature events such as the Invest in Beijing Conference to a high standard, so as to comprehensively strengthen Beijing’s global investment promotion capabilities.
In 2026, Beijing will also promote the high-quality development of the national demonstration zone for creative promotion of import trade, actively advancing the optimization and upgrading of trade in goods. It will promote the digital transformation of service outsourcing, enhance the competitiveness of trade in producer services, and advance the innovative development of trade in services. Beijing will further deepen the development of its comprehensive overseas service platform and the Beijing Belt and Road Comprehensive Service Platform, striving to build the city into the country’s preferred comprehensive overseas service hub for enterprises going global. It will also advance “China Data Street” to a high standard, accelerate the development of the Beijing International Demonstration Zone for Integrated Legal and Commercial Services, and promote the development of a cluster for headquarters of international science and technology organizations, thereby amplifying the influence of these open innovation platforms.
In 2025, Beijing made breakthroughs in stabilizing foreign trade. Its goods exports grew by 3.8%, reaching a record high. Two-way investment opened up new ground, with newly established foreign-invested enterprises increasing by 19.5% year-on-year, while foreign economic cooperation developed steadily. In 2026, Beijing will implement more proactive and effective measures to keep the volume of foreign trade stable and refine its mix, expand two-way investment cooperation, and advance reform and development through opening up.
