Published by ChinaMNC · Dayi

Sichuan Publishes Planning Documents: What Foreign Founders Should Know

A guide for foreign founders on Sichuan's publicly listed plans for economic zones, land use, public services and urban development, and why these documents matter for company registration and operations in China.

Why Sichuan's Planning Documents Matter to Foreign Founders

Foreign founders considering a company in China often focus on Beijing, Shanghai or Shenzhen. Sichuan, in southwest China, is another option, and its provincial government website maintains a public listing of planning documents. These documents set out long-term direction for land use, public services, infrastructure and regional development. For foreign founders, they are useful context when deciding where to register and operate a company in China.

The listing below is a catalogue of documents published by the Sichuan provincial government, not a set of guarantees or incentives. Nothing here should be read as a promise of tax treatment, approvals or financial support. It is a reading list for founders who want to understand the policy environment before committing.

Five-Year Plans Set the Broad Framework

At the top of the listing are the province's five-year national economic and social development plans. The catalogue includes:

• The fifteenth five-year plan outline, dated 2026-04-13
• The fourteenth five-year plan and 2035 long-range objectives outline, dated 2021-03-17
• The thirteenth five-year plan outline, dated 2016-02-15
• The twelfth five-year plan outline, dated 2011-01-28

Each plan covers a fixed period and sets the framework for detailed sector and regional plans below it. For a foreign founder, the most recent outline is the relevant starting point when thinking about medium-term direction in the province.

Land and Spatial Planning

A second group of documents concerns land use, spatial development and ecological restoration. These include:

• The Sichuan Tianfu New Area spatial plan (2021-2035), dated 2025-12-31
• A notice from the Sichuan Provincial Department of Natural Resources issuing five special plans, including the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone spatial plan (2021-2035), dated 2024-11-04
• The Sichuan provincial spatial plan (2021-2035), dated 2024-04-11
• The Anning River Basin spatial plan (2022-2035), dated 2022-11-22
• The Sichuan provincial spatial ecological restoration plan (2021-2035), dated 2022-07-08
• A notice issuing the provincial main functional zone plan, dated 2013-04-16
• Provincial land use master plans for 2006-2020 and 1997-2010, dated 2010-02-23 and 1999-11-15

These documents describe where development and conservation are directed. They can help a founder understand the geography of a province that stretches from the Chengdu Plain to mountainous western areas.

Regional and Economic Zone Plans

The listing also includes plans for economic zones and city clusters:

• The Chengdu metropolitan area integration development plan for the fifteenth five-year period, dated 2026-09-09
• The Chengdu metropolitan area development plan, dated 2021-11-29
• The Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle construction plan outline, issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, dated 2021-10-21
• Several fourteenth five-year plans for the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, the northwest Sichuan ecological demonstration zone, the Panxi economic zone, the south Sichuan economic zone and the northeast Sichuan economic zone, all dated 2021-06-09
• A 2019 notice issuing the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone development plan and four other plans for the thirteenth five-year period
• The northwest Sichuan ecological economic zone development plan for the thirteenth five-year period, dated 2016-09-02

For a founder weighing a location, these plans indicate which parts of the province are being grouped for integrated development and which are framed around ecological protection.

Sector Plans and Government Approvals

A further section lists sector plans and government replies approving them, mostly dated in 2026:

• Replies approving the fifteenth five-year plans for water security, public services, traditional Chinese medicine development, sports development and market regulation modernisation
• The Beautiful Sichuan construction plan for the fifteenth five-year period
• The provincial plan for the protection and development of persons with disabilities
• The provincial natural resources protection and utilisation plan
• The provincial health development plan
• The provincial geological disaster prevention plan
• The provincial plan for high-quality development of housing and urban-rural construction

These illustrate the breadth of provincial planning, from public health to market regulation. They are context, not commitments to any individual business.

Heritage and Scenic Area Protection

The catalogue also lists government replies approving protection plans for historic cities, towns and villages, and for scenic areas. Examples include plans for Luzhou, Mianzhu, the Enyang historic town in Bazhong, the Mengding Mountain scenic area, the Banyue Mountain cliff carvings, the Laojun Mountain scenic area, the Aiyie historic town in Zigong, Jiange and Tongjiang. If a founder's project touches heritage or scenic areas, these documents show that specific protection planning applies.

Cities and Prefectures Listed

The page also names the province's cities and prefectures: Chengdu, Zigong, Panzhihua, Luzhou, Deyang, Mianyang, Guangyuan, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Nanchong, Yibin, Guang'an, Dazhou, Bazhong, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang, and the prefectures of Aba, Garze and Liangshan. This is useful orientation for founders mapping the province.

How to Use This in Practice

These documents are published for public reference. They do not replace the specific rules on foreign investment, company registration, tax or licensing that apply to any particular business. A founder should treat them as background reading and confirm requirements with the relevant authorities or professional advisers. Planning documents can change, and the dates in the catalogue show how often new versions appear.

For a foreign founder, the practical value is in understanding where provincial attention is directed on land, public services and regional integration, and in recognising that Sichuan publishes this material openly. That transparency helps founders ask better questions before registering a company in China.

Next Step

Foreign founders who want help registering and operating a company in China can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp or WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.