Shanghai’s Plan to Improve the Tax Refund Environment for Departing Visitors

On July 3, 2025, the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, together with five departments, launched a 2025–2027 Action Plan to upgrade its departure tax refund system. The new policy allows foreign tourists to receive VAT refunds directly in-store through the “Refund-upon-Purchase” system, replacing the previous departure-based tax refund system. Foreign tourists shopping at eligible stores need to complete a refund agreement and credit card pre-authorization to receive an instant refund. At departure, they present goods, receipts, and ID to customs for verification. Lastly, a refund agency at the port finalizes the process.

In addition, the minimum spending threshold was reduced from ¥500 to ¥200 per store per day, while the daily refund cap rose to ¥20,000. Moreover, to encourage merchant adoption, Shanghai offers up to 50% equipment subsidies, cash incentives (¥5,000–¥10,000), and fee waivers for up to two years. Moreover, registration has been simplified, and credit requirements relaxed to include Grade M taxpayers.

Shanghai plans to boost over 80% of tax-refund stores to support instant refunds via card or mobile payment. Furthermore, it aims to expand to 3,000+ stores and 10,000 service points by 2027, with smart terminals, sealed-bag packaging, and multilingual tools improving efficiency.

China 2025–2028 Tax Credit Policy for Foreign Investors’ Reinvestment of Profits

On 27 June 2025, China’s Ministry of Finance, State Taxation Administration, and Ministry of Commerce jointly issued Announcement [2025] No. 2, regarding a 10% enterprise income tax credit that can be claimed by eligible foreign investors who reinvest profits (e.g., dividends, interest, royalties or other kind of income) in specified sectors. The policy applies from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028, with retroactive eligibility for qualifying investments made after 1 January 2025.

To qualify, reinvestments must be in industries listed in the Encouraged Industries Catalogue and take the form of capital increases, new enterprises, or equity acquisitions from unrelated, non-listed parties. Among those Encouraged Industries are agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, transport, IT, finance, R&D and others. The holding period of investment must be at least five years, and investments must be paid directly from the distributing enterprise to the investee. In addition, early withdrawal triggers tax repayment and proportional claw back of tax credits, and compliance is managed through the Ministry of Commerce’s Unified Platform.

China’s new VAT Law takes effect in 2026

On 1 January 2026, China’s new VAT Law will come into effect, replacing the Provisional VAT Regulations that had governed the system since 1993. This reform brings major structural changes to China’s most important indirect tax.

The law clarifies the scope of taxable transactions by consolidating goods, services, intangibles, and real estate into a unified category. The previous distinction for “labor services” has been removed and is now treated as part of “services.”

Provisions on deemed sales have been updated. Self-produced or commissioned goods provided for non-business use, such as employee benefits, will now be taxable. Free intra-group services between businesses will no longer be subject to VAT.

Rules on input VAT deductions have also changed. Loan service VAT may become deductible; however, this depends on implementing rules to be issued by the State Council.

For small-scale taxpayers, a simplified structure introduces a unified 3% rate, replacing the previous 3% and 5% tiers. Some exceptions may apply, for example in real estate leasing.

The law also introduces anti-avoidance rules allowing tax authorities to adjust valuations in non-monetary or related-party transactions. In addition, taxpayers may either carry forward excess input VAT or apply for a refund, improving liquidity.

CPO & Partners at the ICG European & Asia Integration Meeting | Madrid, 8 July 2025

A day dedicated to international cooperation and strategic dialogue across continents.

The 2nd European & Asia Integration Meeting, hosted by the International Consulting Group in Madrid, brought together professionals from Europe, Asia and Latin America to reflect on today’s global challenges and explore joint solutions in legal, tax and business consultancy.

CPO & Partners contributed with updates on current initiatives in China, including business missions, industrial park partnerships and cross-border investment strategies—demonstrating once again the relevance of building strong, practical bridges between distant markets.

Grateful to ICG and all participants for the enriching discussions and shared vision. Looking forward to future collaborations.

CPO Visits Jiaxing with Lawyer Moschetti

On 17 June 2025, representatives of CPO visited several industrial parks in the city of Jiaxing, not far from Shanghai, alongside Lawyer Giovanni Moschetti, partner of Law Firm Francesco Moschetti, tax, criminal tax and international tax experts, located in Padova (Italy) for more than 50 years.

The day began with a visit to the Pinghu Economic and Technological Development Zone, an industrial park located in the county-level city of Pinghu, part of Jiaxing City in China’s Zhejiang Province. In the afternoon, the delegation moved to Nanhu District, where it held meetings with local government officials from Nanhu District. Discussions focused on cultural exchanges between Italy and China and the incentives the parks can offer to Italian entrepreneurs interested in investing in China.

The presence of Lawyer Moschetti, a professional with over 20 years of experience in tax and legal fields, underscores the growing interest in better understanding China’s landscape and the potential opportunities, both cultural and economic, that can arise from such exchanges.

Future plans are already underway, including delegations of Italian entrepreneurs visiting the toured Parks and cooperation between the two countries to explore and leverage opportunities for economic and cultural exchange.

CPO at the Panda D’Oro Gala Awards – 2025 Edition

On June 14th, CPO & Partners had the pleasure to attend the XIV Edition of the Panda D’Oro Gala Dinner Awards, organized by the China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC) in Shanghai.

The Gala represents one of the most prestigious events for the Italian business community in China, celebrating the outstanding contributions of companies promoting bilateral relations between Italy and China.

For CPO & Partners, this was a valuable opportunity to meet institutions and business leaders, share experiences, and reaffirm our ongoing commitment to supporting international growth strategies between Europe and the Far East.

We’re proud to continue fostering cooperation, building bridges, and promoting synergies that connect companies and territories.

CPO & Partners at the Asia-Pacific Business Roundtable

We were glad to attend the Asia-Pacific Business Roundtable held on June 14 in Shanghai, just ahead of the Panda D’Oro Gala Awards 2025.

An insightful opportunity to explore the current and future outlook of EU–China trade relations, and to connect with key players promoting Italian presence in the Asia-Pacific region.

A dynamic platform for dialogue, exchange, and future cooperation.

Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

also known as the Duanwu Festival (端午节), is a traditional Chinese holiday that falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, so the date varies each year according to the Gregorian calendar.

Origins and Significance:

The festival commemorates the death of the patriotic poet Qu Yuan (屈原), who lived in the 3rd century BC during the Warring States period. Qu Yuan, a minister of the State of Chu, committed suicide by drowning himself in the Miluo River after Chu was occupied by an enemy. The local people, to prevent the fish from eating his body, paddled their boats and threw rice balls (zongzi) into the river, giving rise to the current dragon boat races and the tradition of eating zongzi.

Festival Traditions:

– Dragon Boat Races: Teams paddle long boats decorated with dragon heads and tails, competing to reach the finish line first.
– Eating Zongzi: Glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, often filled with meat, beans, or dates.
– Drinking Realgar Wine: A medicinal wine believed to ward off diseases and evil spirits.
– Wearing Fragrant Pouches: Filled with aromatic herbs, these pouches are worn for protection against diseases.

Symbolism:

The festival celebrates patriotism, loyalty, and the sacrifice of Qu Yuan, and it is an important occasion for cultural reflection and the celebration of Chinese traditions.

Modern Celebration:

Today, the Dragon Boat Festival is a public holiday in China and is celebrated with cultural events, sporting activities, and various traditional rituals, keeping ancient customs alive.

New legislation for China’s private sector economy

The Private Economy Promotion Law of the People’s Republic of China was adopted by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on 30 April 2025, and took officially effect on 20 May.

The new law grants private enterprises equal legal standing and market opportunities alongside other ownership forms, such as State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). The legislation acts in favor of fair competition practices for private firms, in terms of access to bidding, procurement etc. For example, Art. 10 provides for a nationwide unified negative list system for market access: private firms will be able to equally compete in any sector not included in the list.

Another important point is related to R&D schemes: private enterprises are encouraged to undertake major national science and technology projects, while entitled to receive from the state greater research infrastructure and data resources. The law also mandates government bodies and SOEs to honor payment obligations on schedule, with penalties for default.

Having faced for long-time discrimination and inequality of treatment compared to SOEs, private firms may find enhanced protection through the new legislation. However, as often occurs in the country, the actual safeguards offered by the law can only be evaluated against future enforcement mechanisms.

Labour Day Holiday from May 1^st 2025 until May 5^th 2025

Labour Day—also known as International Workers’ Day or May Day—is observed worldwide to honour the social and economic achievements of workers.