Shenzhen will prohibit making any restrictive measures out of the national negative list for foreign investors, according to regulation on foreign investment that will come into effect in the city from Nov 1.

The regulation will also strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of foreign-invested enterprises, particularly in intellectual property rights protection. It will encourage foreign investors to set up research, development and innovation centers, R&D headquarters and open innovation platforms in Shenzhen.

The regulation represents an institutional promise for foreign investors and enterprises to assure them of the predictability of Shenzhen's business environment to support the development of foreign companies.

Despite the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 6,000 foreign-invested enterprises were established in Shenzhen last year, with a year-on-year growth of more than 30%. The use of foreign capital exceeded $10 billion, a yearly increase of more than 20%, reaching a record high.