China has lifted a long-standing restriction that barred foreign companies from purchasing residential properties for non-self-use, as part of the efforts to boost foreign investment and stabilize the country’s beleaguered real estate sector, reports Caixin . The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) on Monday issued a notice outlining nine new measures to streamline cross-border investment and financing rules. The reforms further refine the country’s “steady foreign investment” framework, a policy drive Beijing has pursued aggressively since 2023 to counter slowing inflows. A ban on using such funds to purchase non-self-use residential property has been scrapped. Deputy SAFE head Li Bin said the earlier restrictions were imposed during an overheated property market to curb speculative “hot money” flows.