Within the regulations, there are provisions for foreign enterprises and individuals entering the river transport business, entitling them to hire Chinese ships and space.
The regulations are divided into general, water transport operators, water transport business activities, water transport auxiliary businesses, legal responsibilities and supplementary provisions.
The new rules intend to regulate domestic waterway transport management behaviour, maintain domestic waterway transport market order, insure domestic waterway transportation safety, and promote the healthy development of domestic waterway transport.
The state shall encourage and protect water transport market fair competition; monopoly and unfair competition shall be prohibited. The state will use economic, technical policies and measures to support and encourage water transport operators implement scale, intensive management and promote water transport industry structure adjustment; also it support and encourage water transport operator adopts advanced applicable waterway transportation equipment and technology, ensure transportation safety, promote energy saving, reducing emissions of pollutants. The state will protect the water transport operators, the passenger and the owner`s legitimate rights and interests.
To protect water transport safety, maintain water transport market order of fair competition, the department in charge of transportation under the State Council may, according to the monitoring of water transportation market, decide to suspend licences for new capacity on specific passenger liner shipping and bulk liquid dangerous goods transport route and waters.
In addition, it has also defined the management measures about the passenger ships of below 12 persons and passenger ferry transport in towns and villages.