This week, China's State Council published a new action plan to renew the effort to attract foreign investment, highlighting policies in market access, data flows and government procurement.

China's Customs made multiple announcements last month that involve new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, import bans, and the lifting of existing import bans on plant and animal products from Italy, Spain, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other nations.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently announced that China will lift a two-decade long ban on Spanish beef, while calling for China and Spain to work together to provide a "fair, just and non-discriminatory" business environment.

Last week, Beijing issued a document outlining measures to support the sale of new energy vehicles in international markets, focusing on seven areas: international operation, logistics, financial support, trade promotion, business environment, and risk-prevention.

In January, China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) published sanitary requirements for food products from Brunei, Belgium, and Russia.

Last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued a guideline on standard contracts for personal data flows in the Greater Bay area. Compared to the more general rules on cross-border data flows, the rules for the Greater Bay area alleviate the burden for business in some ways.

In recent weeks, Beijing has invoked the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law and imposed sanctions on U.S. companies and individuals for supporting "Taiwan independence" and Xinjiang-related sanctions. This is one of the few times when the invocation of China's anti-foreign sanctions law has led to concrete measures.