Ministry of Commerce (China)


The Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, is a Cabinet-level executive agency of the State Council of China. It is responsible for formulating policy on foreign trade, export and import regulations, foreign direct investments, consumer protection, market competition and negotiating bilateral and multilateral trade agreements of the Mainland China. It is in charge of the administration of Mainland China's foreign trade pursuant to the Foreign Trade Law. The current Commerce minister is Zhong Shan.

History

Before October 1949, the Ministry of Economic Affairs was the governing agency of the Republic of China on the mainland responsible for economic trade issues. The agency was created in 1931 and reorganized in 1937.
In November 1949, a month after the People's Republic of China was established, the Communist Party of China formed the Ministry of Trade while the MOEA continued to operate in Taiwan and several other islands
In August 1952, the Ministry was renamed to Ministry of Foreign Trade. Ye Jizhuang was the first Minister and died in the post in 1967.
In March 1982, the Ministry of Foreign Trade was merged with the Ministry of Foreign Economic liaison, the State Import and Export Regulation Commission, and the State Foreign Investment Regulation Commission, and became the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade.
In March 1993, the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade was renamed to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation.
In the spring of 2003, the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation went through a reorganization and was renamed Ministry of Commerce.
The ministry also incorporates the former State Economic and Trade Commission and the State Development Planning Commission.

List of ministers

Departmental structure

The Ministry of Commerce is structured into the following departments:
Departments
Foreign Economic Cooperation
Fair Trade for Import and Export
Market Economic Order
Foreign Investment Administration
Market Operation
Aid to Foreign Countries
Treaty and Law
WTO Affairs
Trade in Services
Market System
Comprehensive
Specialized
Commercial Reform
Asian Affairs
Western Asian & African Affairs
American & Oceanian Affairs
International Trade and Economic Affairs
Taiwan, Hong Kong & Macao
General Economic Affairs
Foreign Trade
Electromechanical Products & Science and Technology Industry
Administrative / Corporate Services
General Office
Human Resources
Policy Research
Finance
Injury Investigation
Negotiation Office
Retired Officials
Committee of Communist Party
Discipline Supervision & Investigation Group
Bureau of Discipline Supervision
Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation
World Economy
Consumption and Distribution
International Trade
Foreign Investment
Industry Development and Strategy
Commodity Research
International Trade in Services
Overseas Investment and Economic Cooperation
Asian and African Studies
Development Cooperation
Credit and E-commerce
Strategic Trade and Security

MOFCOM and the CEPA

MOFCOM's responsibility includes fostering closer partnership between the economies of the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau, respectively, with the economy of the rest of the People's Republic of China. To that end the Vice Minister An Min, and the previous Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, Antony Leung, concluded the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement. New agreements are continually negotiated between An and the current Financial Secretary John Tsang under the auspices of the CEPA. Similar agreements were also concluded between the MOFCOM and Secretariat for Economy and Finance of Macau.