China will launch a state-level investment review body to check that merger and acquisition deals struck by foreign firms in one of the world's fastest-growing economies do not endanger "national security", China's State Council, the cabinet, said on Saturday. The new regulation, which will come into effect in March, is set to install a new red-tape barrier for doing business in China, the world's second largest economy where double-digit growth has attracted more than $105 billion in foreign direct investment last year. Foreign investments in military, agriculture, energy and resources, key infrastructure, transport systems, key technology sectors and "important equipment manufacturers" may be subject to reviews, according to a statement published on the central government Internet portal, www.gov.cn.
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