Starting in August 2026, a series of new regulations will be implemented across Sichuan Province and nationwide, impacting various aspects of daily life, from public safety and housing to business operations and healthcare.
Beginning of August in Sichuan
From August 8th, 2026, public sports venues in Sichuan must be equipped with automated external defibrillators (AEDs). This mandate comes from the revised Sichuan Province Sports Regulations, which was approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress and will take effect on that date. The regulations specify that public sports venues and commercial sports facilities must strengthen emergency medical security by providing necessary first-aid equipment, medicines, and personnel, and by conducting regular emergency response training. Specifically, public sports venues are required to have AEDs, while commercial sports venues are encouraged to do the same.
On August 1st, a new Implementation Measures for Investigation and Assessment of Natural Disasters in Sichuan Province will come into effect. Issued by the provincial government, this measure applies to the investigation and assessment of natural disasters such as floods, droughts, meteorological events, earthquakes, geological disasters, and forest and grassland fires within the province. It stipulates that major disasters will be investigated by the provincial government, moderately serious and minor disasters by city and county governments respectively, while extremely major disasters will be handled by the provincial government in coordination with the State Council's investigation team.
Also effective August 1st is the newly formulated Sichuan Province Development Zone Regulations. Approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress, these regulations cover several key areas: they clarify the entities responsible for planning development zones at the provincial, city, and prefecture levels; standardize procedures for establishing, adjusting, and upgrading provincial development zones to national-level ones; establish a rolling development mechanism for these zones; and standardize the evaluation and assessment system, with emphasis on using the results to guide development.
The revised Sichuan Province Waterway Regulations will also be implemented on August 1st. This revision, approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress, aims to address development bottlenecks such as unsound management systems and inadequate protection. It establishes a comprehensive framework covering planning, construction, maintenance, protection, and legal responsibilities, with a particular focus on river basin economic development and regional coordination. The regulations support the planning of short waterways, artificial canals, and specialized branch lines connecting ports to industrial parks, and promote joint scheduling and coordinated law enforcement for navigation structures in the Chengdu-Chongqing region and adjacent areas, thereby enhancing the public service level and safety of the waterways.
The Sichuan Province Agricultural Mechanization Promotion Regulations, approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress, will take effect on August 1st. This is the province's first comprehensive local regulation focused on "promotion," covering the entire agricultural mechanization industry chain. It comprises nine chapters and 53 articles, primarily regulating agricultural machinery technology innovation, quality assurance, promotion and application, socialized services, and safety supervision.
New pet ownership rules in Chengdu will start on August 1st. The Chengdu Dog Ownership Management Regulations, approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress, clarify responsibilities and obligations, service standards, behavioral guidelines, safety control measures, and legal liabilities. Specific penalties are outlined for violations such as failing to register a dog, mistreating or abandoning a dog, keeping a dog in a prohibited area, or allowing a dog to intimidate others.
New rental housing regulations in Chengdu will also be enforced from August 1st. The Chengdu Housing Rental Regulations, approved by the 27th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th Provincial People's Congress, directly address issues like group renting and fake listings. They specify that rental housing must meet building, fire safety, and gas safety standards. The minimum rental unit is an original room, prohibiting partitions, renting by bed, or using non-residential spaces for living. The regulations also set limits on the maximum number of occupants per room and the minimum living space per person, aiming to curb group renting from the source.
National Regulations Starting August 1st
The Veterans Employment and Entrepreneurship Promotion Regulations will take effect, providing tax and financial support for veterans starting businesses. These regulations offer preferential treatment and financial aid for veterans pursuing higher education, and allow for relaxed age and education requirements when hiring veterans in public institutions, state-owned enterprises, and other organizations. Support for veteran entrepreneurs includes tax breaks, financing, and credit policies.
A new rule from the National Financial Regulatory Administration and the People's Bank of China, the Personal Loan Business Explicit Comprehensive Financing Cost Regulations, will require all lenders—including banks, consumer finance companies, and online platforms—to show borrowers a "Comprehensive Financing Cost Disclosure Table." This table must detail all fees, their amounts, who collects them, and how they are collected. Lenders must also promise that no other loan-related fees will be charged beyond those listed.
The Social Groups Branch and Representative Office Management Measures, issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, will prohibit social groups from establishing four types of branches: regional branches, surname-based clan branches, branches with significantly overlapping memberships, and branches with identical or highly similar names and business scopes. Sub-branches under existing branches or representative offices are also banned. Branch names cannot use terms like "center," "research association," "promotion association," or "research institute," which are typically used for legal entities.
The Social Organizations Evaluation and Commendation Activity Management Measures, jointly issued by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Central Social Work Department, will require social organizations to obtain approval and manage evaluation and commendation activities through a project list system. Generally, each organization can only have one such project, typically held every five years. The new rules also list nine prohibited situations and specify that seven types of activities cannot be conducted without approval.
The National Medical Products Administration's (NMPA) expansion of the second phase of the cosmetic personalized service pilot program will take effect. Eight provinces and regions, including Liaoning, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, and Xinjiang, will be added to the pilot program. Participating stores, such as specialty and direct-sale shops, can now offer simple on-site blending and packaging services for two or more types of already registered general cosmetics, based on individual consumer needs.
The Pharmaceutical Representative Management Measures, jointly issued by seven departments including the NMPA, will strictly guard against commercial bribery. The new rules standardize the admission, registration, academic promotion, and disqualification of pharmaceutical representatives. Admission requires a college degree or higher in medicine, pharmacy, or a related field, along with relevant clinical drug knowledge. Registration must specify the sales territory and include a compliance commitment letter. The rules prohibit nine specific behaviors during academic promotion and disqualify holders from hiring or authorizing representatives involved in commercial bribery, with contract penalties for related professionals and organizations.
The new version of the Technical Specifications for Occupational Health Surveillance, issued by the National Health Commission, will introduce multiple new testing indicators. Key changes include more scientific examination conclusions and processes, replacing "re-examination" with specific "supplementary examination" or "further examination" recommendations. The scope of surveillance has been significantly expanded, adding 12 new harmful chemical factors (e.g., toluene, bromopropane, indium and its compounds), three types of dust factors, and physical factors like low temperature and lasers. Report and record management requirements are also stricter, mandating a new "Guidelines for Compiling Occupational Health Examination Summary Reports" that clearly identify suspected occupational disease cases, and requiring records to be kept for at least 15 years from the last examination date.
Finally, the Customs Regulations on Health Quarantine for Inbound and Outbound Special Goods and Articles will require that records for special goods and articles that could pose a risk to domestic public health security be kept for at least three years. Customs will conduct biological safety risk monitoring, and entities involved must cooperate with sample collection and maintain a biological safety management system with accurate records of production, sales, and usage. These records must be kept for no less than three years.
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