S/C/N/809  
 
23 July 2015  
(15-3775)  Page: 1/2  
Council for Trade in Services  Original: English  
 
 NOTIFICATION OF CHINA’S PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT TO SERVICES  
AND SERVICES SUPPLIERS OF LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES 
The following notification from the delegation of China, dated 22 July 2015, is being circulated to 
the Members of the Council for Trade in Services. 
 
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 The following notification dated 22 July 2015, is bein g circulated at the request of the delegation of 
China in accordance with paragraph 2 of the Ministerial Decision on Preferential Treatment to 
Services and Service Suppliers of Least Developed Countries (WT/L/847, 19 December 2011) and 
in relation to indications made at the high-level meeting held on 5 February, 2015 pursuant to the Bali Ministerial Decision on the Operationalization of  the Waiver Concerning Preferential Treatment 
To Services and Service Suppliers of Least-Developed Countries . 
 As always, China attaches great importance to LDC development. In response to LDCs’ collective 
request  (S/C/W/356, 21 July 2014), China will provide preferential treatment to LDCs in the 
following areas: (a) capacity building and comprehensive assistance; (b) authorized destination status; and (3) market access.   
1  DESCRIPTION OF CHINA’S PREFERENTI AL TREATMENT TO LDC SERVICES AND 
SERVICES SUPPLIERS RELATED TO ME ASURES BEYOND GATS ARTICLE XVI: 
1.1  Capacity Building and Comprehensive Assistance Measures 
1.1.  China will, within its capacity, provide the following preferential treatment in relation to 
capacity building and comprehensive assistance thro ugh foreign aid, based on the specific need of 
LDCs indicated in bilateral consultations, within the framework of South-South Cooperation: 
a. China will intensify the training programs on medical services, tourism services, as well 
as software and information technology services for LDCs’ services suppliers; 
b. China will enhance its assistance to LDCs in relation to construction of the infrastructures 
essential to tourism services. These infrastructures include hotels, scenic spots, roads, 
railways, ports and telecommunication networks; and  
c. China will continue assisting LDCs in the construction of their services facilities such as 
schools, hospitals, gymnasiums, stadiums and theatres, which are indispensable for the 
sustainable development of education services, medical services, as well as cultural and 
sporting services in LDCs. Through further a ssistance in the construction of the above-
mentioned services facilities in LDCs, China will not only make contributions to improving 
LDCs’ services supply capacity, but also help LDCs improve their peoples’ living 
conditions and boost social-economic development. 
1.2  Authorized Destination Status 1.2.  Some LDC Members have expressed to China their strong interest in applying for the 
Authorized Destination Status (ADS) in the tourism sector. In response to the collective request of 
the LDC group, China would provide preferential tr eatment to LDCs. China will, within its capacity, S/C/N/809  
 
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  enable more interested LDC Members to acquire ADS, provided that the safety of Chinese tourists 
and their property can be guaranteed.  
2  DESCRIPTION OF CHINA’S PREFERENTI AL TREATMENT TO LDC SERVICES AND 
SERVICES SUPPLIERS RELATED TO GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES 
(GATS) ARTICLE XVI MEASURES: 
Sector or sub-sector Limitation on market access 
Horizontal  
All sectors included in China’s Schedule of 
Specific Commitments on Services as 
contained in GATS/SC/135. Mode 4 (Movement of Natural Persons)   
- “Business visitor”1 from an LDC Member is 
permitted to enter into China and stay up to 6 months. 
Sector  
Business Services 
- Building Cleaning Services 
- Printing Services (only limited to the printing of packaging materials)  Services suppliers from an LDC Member are 
permitted to establish wholly foreign-owned 
enterprises under Mode 3 (Commercial Presence). 
 
Air Transport Services - Computer Reservation Services (CRS) Under Mode 3 (Commercial Presence), CRS 
suppliers from an LDC Member are permitted 
to establish joint-venture enterprises with Chinese CRS suppliers, with Chinese majority ownership. Economic needs tests are required. 
 2.1.  China is still examining the possibility of providing additional preferential treatment to LDCs in the future, and will make further noti fication once it determines to do so. 
 
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1 “Business visitor” means a natural person of an  LDC Member who is: (a) an investor of an LDC 
Member, or a duly authorized representative of an in vestor of an LDC Member, seeking temporary entry into 
China to establish, expand, monitor, or dispose of a commercial presence of that investor; or (b) a service 
seller being a natural person who is a sales representa tive of a services supplier of an LDC Member and is 
seeking temporary entry into China for the purpose of nego tiating the sale of services for that service supplier, 
where such representative will not be engaged in making  direct sales to the general public or in supplying 
services directly.