This episode contains segments on:
- China’s New Regulation on Industrial and Supply Chain Security
- China’s new guidance for e-commerce development
- EU-China joint space mission
Also, the European Chamber will launch its latest report on China’s export control regime which will be available to download from the Chamber’s website on 14th April.
Contact:
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Read more:
China’s New Regulation on Industrial and Supply Chain Security
https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/202604/content_7064837.htm
China’s new guidance for e-commerce development
EU-China joint space mission
https://www.ft.com/content/a2fd6a17-4e0a-4db8-b0f4-9a1289f220b3
[Hybrid] Report Launch | Exporting Control: China’s New Strategic Toolkit
https://www.europeanchamber.com.cn/en/upcoming-events/29061
Transcript:
RUI: Hello and welcome to China ShortCuts,
XINHE: the European Chamber’s weekly catch-up on China’s business landscape.
RUI: This episode was recorded on 8th April 2026.
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RUI: At the 81st executive meeting of the State Council on 31st March, China adopted the Regulations of the State Council on the Security of Industrial and Supply Chains.
XINHE: Through this regulation, the State Council intends to establish a framework to safeguard China’s industrial and supply chains from security threats, while simultaneously enhancing their resilience.
Multiple State Council departments will share responsibility at the national level to achieve several key priorities. Departments are tasked with developing an early warning and emergency response system that will monitor fundamental risks. A list of key, strategically-important sectors will be created that are subject to heightened oversight from the monitoring authorities.
The new regulations also bestow broad power upon authorities to investigate and potentially retaliate against foreign actors whose policies are deemed detrimental to the security of China’s supply chains. The regulation specifically refers to foreign entities that disrupt the normal flow of trade or impose discriminatory measures against Chinese companies.
In its decree announcing the new regulation, the State Council stressed its desire to balance this regulatory development with international cooperation on supply chain security. Nonetheless, these new legal tools will allow the Chinese Government to react more forcefully to foreign pressure. This dovetails with the priorities outlined in China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which puts an emphasis on strengthening supply chains and the resilience of China’s economy against foreign disruption.
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RUI: Following a visit by EU lawmakers on 31st March, China issued guidance for its e-commerce sector, aimed at aligning the sector’s development with international concerns around product safety and trade imbalances.
XINHE: During their visit, EU lawmakers, who represented the EU Parliament’s internal market committee, brought up instances of dangerous and non-compliant imports through Chinese e-commerce platforms. Several Chinese e-commerce platforms are currently under investigation for violations of product standards.
The newly released guidance emphasises the need to establish a balance between promotion and regulation of the booming e-commerce sector. It calls for cross-border pilot zones to be established in which new rules and standards would be implemented while promoting overseas expansion.
This move could be a constructive step towards easing some of the concerns raised by EU lawmakers and member states. While investigations into Chinese e-commerce companies are still underway, continued progress in establishing effective regulation can help ease disputes over dangerous imports.
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RUI: The EU and China will be launching a joint space mission in late April, following almost a decade of collaboration and preparatory work.
XINHE: The mission entails the launch of a satellite called SMILE, that will study the Earth’s magnetic field, which protects the planet from solar radiation. The goal of the project is to better predict geomagnetic storms, which can damage communications systems and satellites.
As a demonstration of the potency of bilateral scientific cooperation, this project is something of an outlier given the fact that it is taking place in the face of intense geopolitical headwinds. The collaboration was launched in 2016 amid improving relations between the EU and China and has since managed to stay on course, despite intermittent periods of spiralling tensions.
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RUI: Join the European Chamber’s launch event for its latest publication, Exporting Control: China’s New Strategic Toolkit, on 14th April 2026 at 2pm Beijing time.
XINHE: The report focuses on the development of China’s export control regime and future scenarios in which this evolving toolkit may be applied to influence strategic competition. The event will feature a presentation by the Chamber’s President, Jens Eskelund, followed by a panel discussion on the main findings of the report. The report itself will be available for download from the Chamber’s website on 14th April.
RUI: You can find more information by visiting the link in the description.
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RUI: Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to tune in next week.
XINHE: In the meantime, please find useful links in the episode notes.