China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has instructed central state-owned enterprises to “optimise” their overseas investment approach and coordination across markets.
The direction was issued following an expanded Communist Party Committee meeting at SASAC, according to the translated version of the statement.
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The meeting reviewed remarks by President Xi Jinping at the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.
On overseas investment, the meeting said enterprises should “consciously plan and promote enterprise internationalisation within the national framework of opening up, coordinate and make good use of both domestic and international markets, optimise overseas investment layout, reinforce the security baseline, further expand cooperation in technology, equipment, and standards, and achieve mutual benefit and peaceful development”.
The meeting was chaired by Cheng Fubo, secretary of the party committee and director of SASAC.
The agenda also covered party governance and workplace safety.
In relation to the fire at Beihai Shipyard, the meeting said enterprises should “actively cooperate with rescue and accident investigations, fully identify the causes of accidents, strictly carry out accountability, thoroughly implement rectification, and effectively improve safety management standards.”
The call for more coordinated overseas investment comes after several regulatory and institutional steps taken by Beijing earlier this year.
In July, China rolled out a fresh overseas investment regulation that grants the state authority to shield investors from foreign trade barriers while restricting the export of sensitive technologies.
The regulation permits “necessary and defensive measures” to safeguard Chinese investors and their overseas interests in instances where foreign governments impose trade-related restrictions.
That same month, China set up a new state-backed mining investment vehicle, Guangyan International Investment, aimed at strengthening control over its overseas mineral supply chains.
The entity, also referred to by its English name Vast Rock International Investment, will function under a wider initiative overseen by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s economic planning authority.
