Published by ChinaMNC · Yitongmanzu

Jilin Province 2026 Service Consumption Plan: Opportunities for Foreign Founders

Jilin Province released measures to boost service consumption, including support for senior care, domestic services, and tourism. For foreign founders, this signals sector-specific incentives and regulatory focus when setting up a company in China.

What the Jilin Plan Means for Your China Company

On April 30, 2026, the General Office of the Jilin Provincial People's Government issued the "Several Measures to Accelerate the Cultivation of New Growth Points in Service Consumption in Jilin Province for 2026" (Ji Zheng Ban Han [2026] No. 38). The policy targets three areas: upgrading key sectors, breaking through in potential sectors, and implementing support systems. For foreign founders, it highlights sectors where local incentives may align with business opportunities, and underscores compliance considerations for service-sector companies.

Target and Sector Focus

The plan aims for per capita service consumption expenditure to exceed 45% of total per capita consumption by the end of 2026. Key sectors include transportation services, domestic services, senior care, and elderly care and wellness. While the document does not specify foreign investment preferences, these are the areas where local governments may offer support, potentially benefiting foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) that choose to operate in these fields.

Transportation Services: Tourism Integration

Jilin plans to integrate rail and tourism by operating themed cultural trains and ice-snow tour trains, developing brands such as "Longjing" and "Changbaishan" snow country trains. In 2026, the province aims to operate 95 tourist special trains, a 5.5% year-on-year increase. It will also upgrade trains for elderly accessibility, offer buffet services, and host activities like birthday parties and chess tournaments. Key stations will undergo tourism-oriented renovations, and train cars may feature ice-snow cultural experience zones and local specialty product displays. The plan also promotes developing boutique river and lake tourism routes, including winter rime and border river experiences, encourages upgrading tourist vessels to new energy, and improves transport connections around core scenic areas with tourist shuttle buses and shared transport stations.

What this means for your China company: If you are considering a business in tourism transportation, such as operating tourist trains, shuttle services, or new energy vessel upgrades, these measures indicate local government support. However, transportation is a regulated sector; foreign investment may be subject to negative list restrictions. Early consultation with local commerce and transportation authorities is advisable.

Domestic Services: Branding and Digitalization

The plan supports domestic service brands, encourages digitalization, branding, and scaling, and backs chain operations and commercial franchising. It promotes specialized service providers for meal assistance, bathing, cleaning, mobility, medical assistance, and emergency help, and encourages domestic companies to develop diverse door-to-door elderly care services. It also encourages leading domestic firms to transition from intermediary to employee-based models. The Ministry of Commerce's "Domestic Service Credit Check" platform and "Home Visit Service Certificate" will be promoted. Support includes building high-level vocational training bases, with provincial-level domestic service training bases eligible for subsidies up to RMB 300,000. In 2026, vocational skills training for domestic workers is targeted at 15,000 person-times. The plan also promotes the "Domestic Service Convention" for standardized operations.

What this means for your China company: Foreign founders in domestic services should note the emphasis on employee-based models and credit platforms. Compliance with labor laws and participation in official credit systems may become important for accessing subsidies or partnerships. The training subsidies are available to qualifying entities, but eligibility for foreign-invested companies should be confirmed with local human resources authorities.

Senior Care and Wellness: Incentives and Standards

Leveraging Jilin's climate and ecological resources, the plan promotes county-level residential elderly care pilots, combining traditional Chinese medicine with leisure and domestic services with wellness. It includes building elderly meal assistance facilities and completing accessibility renovations for 6,000 low-income elderly households in 2026, with standards raised to RMB 3,000 per household. It supports leading elderly care enterprises to develop chains and groups, and organizes a "Top 100 Brands" selection in the silver economy, aiming to recognize at least 10 brand enterprises in 2026. Supermarkets, convenience stores, and farmers markets will be upgraded for elderly accessibility, adding senior product sections and one-stop shopping. High-age allowances will be processed via a unified online system.

For elderly care and wellness services, the plan aims to build 10 county-level comprehensive elderly care service centers, 60 township regional centers, and 120 village-level stations in 2026, with support of RMB 500,000, 250,000, and 50,000 respectively. Subsidies for moderately and severely disabled elderly will cover home, community, and institutional care, reimbursing 30%-60% of consumption costs, up to RMB 800 per person per month. The plan encourages secondary and higher-level general hospitals to open geriatrics departments and TCM hospitals to open geriatric wards. It supports demonstration bases for TCM wellness in Changbaishan and Tonghua, and encourages social capital to invest in high-end wellness communities and residential wellness bases, focusing on summer retreat, hot spring, and forest wellness brands, cultivating leading enterprises with Jilin characteristics. Training for elderly care and wellness talent will be strengthened, with support for vocational colleges to add elderly care nursing programs.

What this means for your China company: Senior care is a encouraged sector for foreign investment, but it is subject to specific regulations. Foreign founders should consider the legal form (e.g., wholly foreign-owned enterprise or joint venture) and obtain necessary licenses from civil affairs and health authorities. The subsidies and support mentioned are generally available to qualifying domestic entities; foreign-invested enterprises should verify eligibility. The focus on brand cultivation and high-end wellness communities may present partnership opportunities.

Registration and Compliance Considerations

While the Jilin plan does not alter the fundamental company registration process, foreign founders should keep these points in mind:

• Entity choice: A wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE) is common for service businesses, but sectors like tourism transportation or elderly care may have restrictions. Check the Negative List for Foreign Investment Access.
• Registration steps: Standard procedures include name pre-approval, submission of articles of association, capital contribution, and business scope registration. Sector-specific licenses (e.g., for tourism, healthcare) must be obtained before operation.
• Capital and tax: Ensure registered capital meets sector requirements. Service companies are generally subject to VAT and corporate income tax; incentives may exist for encouraged sectors.
• Compliance: Adhere to labor laws, especially if transitioning to employee-based models in domestic services. Use official platforms like the credit check system for domestic services.

For specific guidance, consult local authorities or professional advisors.

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

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