Beijing will soon issue new regulations aimed at clarifying issues related to foreign investments in the telecommunications sector, part of commitments to the World Trade Organisation, in a move that could widen the scope of businesses open to investment.
It will also issue a code for handling commercial disputes between China's telecom operators, a key source of friction as competition in the sector heats up.
A revised version of the Telecom Services Classification Catalogue would be issued this year to address changes that have emerged in China's fast-growing telecom sector, said Su Jinsheng, director of the Telecommunication Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Information Industry. He was quoted in the ministry-owned China Electronics News.
Regulations were issued in June 2001 on the classification and requirements for telecom services. Mr Su said the new regulations would clarify issues related to foreign investment and to domestic market disputes.
The previous catalogue divided telecoms services into two categories - basic and valued.
Under WTO pacts, foreign firms will be allowed to take up to 50 per cent of joint ventures in value-added services, and 49 per cent in basic telecom services, five years from WTO accession.
