Article 9

Procedures for the establishment of an FFCIE:

1. The Chinese partner submits an application for the establishment of the FFCIE together with the related documents to its higher authorities. After agreed by the authorities, the local foreign trade and economic cooperation department, having consulted the local SCIA office, will send the application with its own comments and report to MOFTEC. If the applicant is an enterprise directly under a ministry, commission or bureau of the State Council, it should submit the application with related documents for the establishment of an FFCIE to its higher authorities and, after having agreed by the higher authorities, report the application to MOFTEC which, on receiving will consult SCIA on the documents.

2. SCIA will examine the project proposal and feasibility study report for the proposed FFCIE and its technical force, technical level and technical equipment as well as its scope of business. Finding the application qualified after examination, SCIA will issue a "written comment on the results of examination of the qualifications of the proposed FFCIE."

3. Having received an affirmative reply from SCIA, MOFTEC will examine the documents sent in. After it has approved the project, MOFTEC will issue a certificate of approval of a foreign-funded enterprise.

4. The Chinese partner, with the MOFTEC certificate of approval of a foreign-funded enterprise and other relevant documents, applies to industrial and commercial administrative offices for business registration to get the business license.

5. With the certificate of approval and the business license, the FFCIE has to get the qualification certificate for FFCIE at SCIA before it can formally open for business.