Published by ChinaMNC · Guangan

Sichuan's Published Planning Documents: A Practical Guide to What Foreign Founders Can Track

A guide for foreign founders on how Sichuan publishes its plans, covering economic and social development outlines, territorial spatial plans, regional integration plans, and sector plans that shape provincial priorities.

Why Sichuan's Planning Portal Matters to Foreign Founders

Foreign founders considering a company in Sichuan, or already operating one, need to know where the province publishes its planning documents. The Sichuan provincial government's government information disclosure section on planning information is the primary channel. It lists policy documents, regulations and administrative normative documents, organized into categories such as government normative documents and departmental normative documents. The page shows the Provincial Development and Reform Commission as one listed department, with a count of 24 items.

The portal is not a business guide. It is a dated index of approved and issued plans. For founders, its value lies in showing which plans exist, which periods they cover, and which parts of the province they address. Reading the index carefully helps you identify the documents relevant to your sector and location before you commit capital or sign a lease.

Economic and Social Development Outlines

The index includes successive five-year economic and social development outlines for Sichuan. These are the province's overarching plans, and the portal lists several generations with their publication dates.

• The 15th Five-Year Plan outline for Sichuan's national economic and social development, dated 2026-04-13.
• The 14th Five-Year Plan outline and the long-range objectives through 2035, dated 2021-03-17.
• The 13th Five-Year Plan outline, dated 2016-02-15.
• The 12th Five-Year Plan outline, dated 2011-01-28.

For a founder, these outlines set the broad direction for provincial policy. They are long documents, but they are the reference point for the more specific plans listed elsewhere on the page.

Territorial Spatial Plans

The portal lists a series of territorial spatial plans, which concern land use and spatial development. These matter for site selection, industrial park location and long-term land planning.

• Sichuan Tianfu New Area territorial spatial plan (2021–2035), dated 2025-12-31.
• A notice from the Provincial Department of Natural Resources issuing five special plans, including the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone territorial spatial plan (2021–2035), dated 2024-11-04.
• The Sichuan provincial territorial spatial plan (2021–2035), dated 2024-04-11.
• The Anning River Basin territorial spatial plan (2022–2035), dated 2022-11-22.
• The Sichuan provincial territorial spatial ecological restoration plan (2021–2035), dated 2022-07-08.
• A provincial government notice issuing the Sichuan main functional zone plan, dated 2013-04-16.
• Older land use master plans for 2006–2020 and 1997–2010, dated 2010-02-23 and 1999-11-15 respectively.

The main functional zone plan and the land use master plans are older documents, but they show how the province has historically classified land. The newer territorial spatial plans are the ones to follow for current site planning questions.

Regional and City-Cluster Plans

Sichuan publishes plans for its economic zones and for the Chengdu metropolitan area. These are useful for founders deciding where within the province to locate.

• The Chengdu metropolitan area integration development 15th Five-Year Plan, dated 2026-09-09.
• The Chengdu metropolitan area development plan, dated 2021-11-29.
• The Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle construction plan outline, issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council, dated 2021-10-21.
• 14th Five-Year Plan integration and development plans for the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, the Northwest Sichuan ecological demonstration zone, the Panxi economic zone, the South Sichuan economic zone and the Northeast Sichuan economic zone, all dated 2021-06-09.
• A 13th Five-Year Plan notice covering the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone development plan (2018 revision) and four other plans, dated 2019-01-25.
• The Northwest Sichuan ecological economic zone 13th Five-Year Plan development plan, dated 2016-09-02.

The page also lists the province's cities and prefectures: Chengdu, Zigong, Panzhihua, Luzhou, Deyang, Mianyang, Guangyuan, Suining, Neijiang, Leshan, Nanchong, Yibin, Guang'an, Dazhou, Bazhong, Ya'an, Meishan, Ziyang, and the prefectures of Aba, Garze and Liangshan.

Sector Plans and Government Approvals

A further group of entries covers sector plans, many published as provincial government approvals (批复) of plans. These indicate which policy areas the province is actively planning for.

• Approvals for the water security 15th Five-Year Plan and the public services 15th Five-Year Plan, both dated 2026-10-09.
• The Beautiful Sichuan construction 15th Five-Year Plan, dated 2026-10-09.
• An approval for the traditional Chinese medicine development 15th Five-Year Plan, dated 2026-10-08.
• The plan for protection and development of persons with disabilities, dated 2026-09-21, and an approval for the sports development 15th Five-Year Plan of the same date.
• The natural resources protection and utilization 15th Five-Year Plan, dated 2026-09-17.
• The health development 15th Five-Year Plan and the geological disaster prevention 15th Five-Year Plan, both dated 2026-09-11, along with an approval for the market regulation modernization 15th Five-Year Plan.
• The high-quality development 15th Five-Year Plan for housing and urban-rural construction, dated 2026-08-31.

The page also lists approvals for historic and scenic area protection plans, including plans for Luzhou, Mianzhu, the Enyang historic town and villages in Bazhong, the Mengding Mountain scenic area, the Banyueshan cliff carvings, the Laojun Mountain scenic area, historic towns in Zigong, and the historic cities of Jiange and Tongjiang. These are relevant mainly to founders in tourism, culture or construction, but they show how approvals are published.

How to Use the Index

Founders should treat the portal as a finding aid. The page lists document titles and dates but does not summarize content, so you will need to open the individual documents. Note that 15th Five-Year Plan items carry future dates in the listing, which means they should be checked for status before relying on them. Older plans remain listed for historical reference.

For company registration and operations, the planning index complements rather than replaces the normative documents section. Start with the plans that match your sector and intended location, then confirm current requirements through the relevant department.

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