China

Chinese government regulations now require three-star and higher-rated hotels and tourist attractions to accept foreign bank cards, including American Express. This regulatory change supports market expansion for foreign payment networks and simplifies spending for international visitors in China.

China is introducing interest earnings and deposit insurance protection for its central bank digital currency (e-CNY) starting January 1 to boost adoption. This regulatory enhancement aims to modernize payments, encourage use in payroll and investments, and position the digital yuan as an alternative to stablecoins and dominant payment apps.

Chinese regulators have instructed major tech companies including Ant Group and JD.com to suspend their stablecoin launch plans in Hong Kong, despite Hong Kong's new stablecoin licensing framework. This reflects mainland China's intervention in Hong Kong's financial innovation initiatives to control monetary policy and promote its digital yuan CBDC.

China has released updated climate and energy transition goals as part of its latest five-year plan, including new CO2 emissions intensity reduction targets of 3.8% by 2026 and 17% by 2030, and raising the non-fossil energy share target to around 25% by 2030. While maintaining existing commitments to peak emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060, the plan has been criticized as less ambitious than previous targets, with environmental groups noting it represents a cautious approach to climate policy.

China's MIIT and CAC have issued new guidance on automotive data security that introduces exemptions from SCCs and CAC approval for cross-border transfers of specific automotive data categories and shifts to data controller-led identification of 'important data' with detailed standards. The guidance is effective February 2026 and represents a significant update to automotive data compliance requirements in China.