Notice on Issuing the "15th Five-Year Plan for Accounting Reform and Development"
Cai Kuai [ 2026 ] No. 13
To the Finance Departments of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government; cities with independent planning status; the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Finance Bureau; the Financial Asset Management Division of the General Administration of State Affairs for Directly Affiliated Units; the Financial Management Division of the State Council Office; the Financial Bureau of the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission; the local regulatory bureaus of the Ministry of Finance; and relevant units:
To enhance accounting practices, improve the quality of accounting information, and better serve high-quality economic and social development in line with the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, the "15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China," the Ministry of Finance's "15th Five-Year Plan," and other relevant guidelines, the Ministry of Finance has prepared the "Accounting Reform and Development '15th Five-Year' Plan." It is hereby issued for your strict implementation.
Ministry of Finance
2026-10-23
15th Five-Year Plan for Accounting Reform and Development
Accounting is a vital component of economic management and serves as the foundation for market economy operations, macroeconomic governance, and high-level opening-up. It plays a critical role in optimizing resource allocation, maintaining economic order, and ensuring smooth national economic circulation. To elevate accounting standards, enhance the quality of accounting information, and better align accounting practices with high-quality economic and social development, this plan is formulated in accordance with the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People's Republic of China, and the Fiscal 15th Five-Year Plan.
1. Development Environment
(I) Key Achievements During the "14th Five-Year Plan" Period.
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's accounting reform and development achieved significant results. The plan's key objectives were largely accomplished, accounting services expanded their scope and functions to support economic and social development, and both capacity building and impact continued to strengthen.
The construction of the legal framework for accounting has been steadily advanced.The Accounting Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "Accounting Law") has been amended and promulgated, while significant progress has been made in amending the Certified Public Accountants Law of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "CPA Law"). Accounting supervision has been strengthened, with initial results achieved in eliminating existing instances of financial fraud and curbing new ones. Efforts to build accounting integrity have deepened. The Fourth National Accounting Knowledge Competition was successfully held.Accounting and auditing standards continue to be refined.Establish a closed-loop mechanism for accounting and auditing standards encompassing formulation, implementation guidance, and strengthened supervision. Standardize the accounting treatment of corporate data resources; publish the industry's first accounting manual; analyze the implementation of corporate accounting standards; and compile corporate accounting standards, application guidelines, and typical cases. Standardize government accounting for cultural relics and local government debt; revise accounting systems for non-governmental organizations and trade unions; refine accounting standards for occupational annuity funds, social insurance funds, and similar funds; standardize cost accounting for industry products; and standardize rural accounting. Release 39 audit standards on risk assessment and multiple practical guides such as bank confirmations. Issue a series of interpretations and Q&A documents on corporate and government accounting standards to strengthen practical guidance.The accounting function continues to expand and evolve.The national system for unified sustainable disclosure standards has been fully launched, with basic standards, climate standards, and assurance standards successively released. Internal control compilation, reporting, and evaluation for administrative and public institutions have been steadily advanced, achieving positive progress in key industries; internal control norms for enterprises are effectively implemented in listed companies, state-owned enterprises, and private enterprises. The application of management accounting continues to deepen. Significant results have been achieved in the digital transformation of accounting: revised specifications for accounting informationization, core functions of accounting software, and service standards have been issued; the electronic voucher accounting data standard is being continuously improved and widely adopted; pilot work on credit-enhancing accounting data standards for micro and small enterprises is ongoing. A series of audit data standards for certified public accountants have been published and implemented, accelerating the digital development of bank confirmations. Code-based verification of audit reports is now promoted nationwide, and the entire accounting services industry has fully realized the issuance and application of electronic licenses. An informatized platform for accounting management has been built and put into use.Strengthened development of the accounting workforce and theoretical research.The scale of accounting talent continues to grow steadily, the talent evaluation system is becoming more robust, continuing education content is increasingly scientific and rational, mechanisms for cultivating high-end accounting talent are further refined, and a professional doctoral degree in accounting has been successfully established. The development of national accounting academies is advancing effectively. Accounting academic exchange platforms, emerging professional think tanks, and top-tier academic venues are being continuously strengthened.Standardize the development of accounting services.The State Council General Office issued the "Opinions on Further Standardizing Financial Audit Order and Promoting the Healthy Development of the Certified Public Accountant Industry" (Guo Ban Fa [Year 2021] No. 30). It improved systems for filing, supervision, inspection, and punishment for dishonesty regarding accounting firms engaged in securities services; strengthened integrated management of accounting firms and the construction of foundational standard systems; and refined mechanisms for comprehensive evaluation and self-examination with self-correction reports. The standardization level of the bookkeeping agency industry continues to improve.Achieved new breakthroughs in participating in global accounting governance.More than 30 Chinese representatives were successfully elected or reappointed to key international mechanisms in accounting, participating comprehensively and at multiple levels in the formulation of international accounting standards. The Beijing Office of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation (IFRS Foundation) has been established and is operational. International convergence and mutual recognition of accounting and auditing standards continue to advance. Regional and bilateral/multilateral international cooperation and exchange in accounting are being strengthened.
(II) New Situations and Requirements During the 15th Five-Year Plan Period.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, China's development will face a mix of strategic opportunities and risks, with an increase in unpredictable factors. Accounting work must adapt to these new circumstances and requirements.
Building a robust domestic market assigns new missions to accounting work.A strong domestic market is the strategic foundation of Chinese-style modernization. To build such a market and establish a unified national market, deepen market-oriented reforms for factor allocation, and develop a high-standard market system, it is essential to strengthen the implementation of unified national accounting standards and related regulations. This will standardize accounting treatment across all production factors, promote efficient circulation of these factors, improve allocation efficiency, and fully unleash social creativity and market vitality.
Strengthen talent support for modernization and create new advantages for accounting work.As China's modernization advances, the role of talent as the primary driver of economic and social development has become increasingly evident. It is essential to recognize at a strategic level the critical importance of talent in driving progress, vigorously integrate accounting talent development with broader economic and social goals, and fully leverage the value of accounting professionals. A high-caliber accounting workforce will be key to overcoming reform challenges and forging new paths for sustainable growth.
Build a modern industrial system to unlock new momentum for accounting work.The service sector is a vital component of the modern industrial system and is central to overall modernization. As a high-end producer service industry, accounting services must continuously enhance audit quality, expand into diverse value-added services, accelerate the deep integration of new technologies with the industry, and move toward greater specialization and higher value chains—consistently strengthening scale, precision, and expertise.
Technological revolutions and industrial transformations are creating new opportunities for accounting.Today, the new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation led by artificial intelligence is accelerating breakthroughs, spawning new industries, business models, and growth drivers. Accounting must firmly grasp the trends of digitalization, networking, and intelligence, accelerate its digital and intelligent transformation, and promote innovative development in accounting management models and value creation approaches.
Improving the macroeconomic governance system introduces new requirements for accounting work.Perfecting the macroeconomic governance system is a vital guarantee for high-quality development, with accounting work providing essential information for fiscal and other macroeconomic governance. We must further enhance the quality of accounting information, solidify accounting responsibilities across all parties, strengthen accounting supervision, reinforce inter-departmental regulatory coordination, maintain a high-pressure stance against financial fraud, and effectively uphold financial discipline and market economic order.
Expanding high-level opening-up to open a new chapter in accounting work.Accounting standards serve as foundational rules in the global business arena, representing a key area of interest for national stakeholders and a vital component of China's efforts to reform and build the global governance system. China must fully and deeply engage in international accounting governance, promoting accounting development through open cooperation, safeguarding national interests, and contributing Chinese insights.
Establishing an independent knowledge system for Chinese philosophy and social sciences defines new tasks for accounting work.Accelerate the development of a philosophical and social science discipline, academic, and discourse system with Chinese characteristics. This places higher demands on advancing knowledge, theoretical, and methodological innovation in accounting. We must integrate China's accounting practices to rapidly build an accounting knowledge system anchored by distinctive concepts and original theories, thereby supporting accounting reform and development.
At the same time, the accounting field faces several challenges: some standards and systems have not kept pace with practical developments; enforcement of accounting laws and regulations needs strengthening; efforts to combat financial fraud must continue with a focus on both immediate action and long-term solutions; there is still a shortage of high-level accounting talent; the capacity of accounting professional firms to support national development requires improvement; digital and intelligent transformation in accounting needs advancement; effectiveness in participating in global accounting governance must be enhanced; and the role of accounting theory in guiding practice remains underutilized. Accounting work must proactively adapt to new trends and requirements, consolidate and expand strengths, overcome bottlenecks, address weaknesses, and strive to create a new chapter in the development of the accounting profession.
II. General Requirements
(I) Guiding Principles.
Adhere to the guiding principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Thoroughly implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress and all plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, and effectively carry out the deployment of the Fourth Plenary Session. Comprehensively, accurately, and fully apply the new development philosophy; accelerate the construction of a new development pattern; coordinate high-quality development with high-level security. Anchor the goal of building an accounting system with Chinese characteristics that is internationally leading. Rely on accounting law as a critical guarantee, the accounting talent pool as the core force, the accounting service industry as the professional foundation, accounting supervision as a powerful lever, information technology application as a key engine, and participation in global accounting governance as an effective pathway. Support these efforts with a robust accounting knowledge system. Fully leverage the advantages of the accounting management system, abundant talent resources, and open international cooperation. Comprehensively enhance the quality of accounting information, better serve high-quality economic and social development, and contribute to advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.
(II) Basic Principles.
Uphold the Party's comprehensive leadership.Unwaveringly uphold the Party's comprehensive leadership over accounting work, and guide accounting in the new era with the Party's innovative theories. Firmly safeguard the authority of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and its centralized, unified leadership; resolutely implement major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee; plan and advance the development of the accounting sector within the broader context of economic and social development and the overall landscape of fiscal reform and development; and fully leverage the foundational role of accounting in serving economic and social development and scientific fiscal management.
People First.Uphold a people-centered development approach, take safeguarding the public interest in accordance with the law as the starting point and goal, adhere to scientific and democratic principles, draw lessons from the creative practices of the people, better fulfill accounting functions, comprehensively improve the quality of accounting information, and promote optimal resource allocation and social equity and justice.
Stay problem-oriented.Focus on major issues and significant gaps in the reform and development of accounting, new challenges encountered in accounting practice, hot topics of widespread public concern, and critical issues amid global shifts. Identify entry points and leverage points to drive overall advancement in accounting work through targeted breakthroughs.
Adhere to a systematic approach.Strengthen overall planning for the development of the accounting profession, balancing global and local perspectives, short-term and long-term goals, macro and micro considerations, and openness with autonomy. Effectively coordinate all stages of policy formulation, implementation, and supervision; integrate resources across policies, talent, technology, and data; and advance key tasks in accounting reform and development as an integrated effort.
Uphold integrity and pursue innovation.Master the laws of accounting, uphold accounting integrity, and strengthen core accounting functions. Keep pace with technological and industrial shifts, develop new quality productive forces tailored to local conditions, focus on key areas and critical links, accelerate accounting system innovation and practical exploration, and continuously enhance the momentum of accounting development.
(III) Key Objectives.
The foundation of accounting law and governance continues to strengthen.The accounting legal and regulatory framework is further strengthened. Standards and systems in areas such as corporate accounting, government accounting, sustainability disclosure, internal control, management accounting, and CPA auditing are more scientific and comprehensive. The authority and enforceability of the unified national accounting system continue to strengthen, accounting information quality improves, legal safeguards for accounting are solidified, accounting liabilities become clearer, and the overall environment for accounting governance continues to optimize.
Accounting talent support is strengthened.The structure of accounting talent continues to optimize, capabilities steadily improve, and regional distribution becomes more balanced, significantly enhancing the international competitiveness of accounting professionals. Mechanisms for identifying, developing, managing, utilizing, and retaining talent are further strengthened, increasing the sector's appeal to high-caliber individuals.
Promote high-quality and efficient development of the accounting services industry.Under Party leadership, the governance effectiveness of the certified public accountant (CPA) industry continues to improve. The industry's development toward standardization, branding, digital intelligence, and internationalization is advancing steadily, strengthening both domestic and global competitiveness. A growing number of accounting firms with international influence have emerged, significantly enhancing the sector's capacity to support national development. Meanwhile, bookkeeping services are developing in a standardized and orderly manner, with an increasing number of high-quality providers and continuously improving professional standards.
Accounting supervision will be more effectively implemented.The accounting supervision system has been further strengthened, and the mechanism for cracking down on financial fraud has been improved. Efforts to supervise key areas and rectify prominent issues continue with enhanced precision and effectiveness, accelerating the cleanup of existing fraud cases and effectively curbing new incidents.
Accounting intelligence and digitalization levels continue to rise.A standardized, secure, controllable, and intelligent accounting digitalization system has been essentially established. The digitalization level of accounting audit work and industry management has significantly improved, demonstrating the full impact of accounting digitalization in enhancing information quality and management capabilities, promoting sustainable development, and empowering accounting supervision and industry governance.
Significantly improved contribution to international accounting governance.China's representation and influence in global accounting governance continue to strengthen, with an increasingly prominent role in shaping international standards and leading bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Its contribution to enhancing global accounting governance has further improved, while the achievements of mutual recognition and equivalence of accounting and auditing standards continue to be consolidated and expanded.
Innovative breakthroughs achieved in accounting theory development.Comprehensive strengthening of theoretical system construction, academic platform development, think tank innovation, and academic discourse establishment. A accounting discipline system, academic framework, and narrative structure rooted in China's national conditions, integrated with Chinese practice, and highlighting Chinese characteristics have been fundamentally established. Accounting theory innovation capabilities and their practical impact have significantly enhanced, with increasingly prominent contributions to global accounting theory development.
III. Coordinate the development of a comprehensive and sound accounting legal system
Adhere to the rule of law in thinking and action, balance system formulation with implementation, continuously strengthen the closed-loop management mechanism, establish a sound accounting legal framework, and better leverage the rule of law's role in stabilizing foundations, ensuring predictability, and promoting long-term development.
(I) Continuously strengthen foundational systems in the accounting field.
Implement the requirements of the newly revised Certified Public Accountants Law by systematically advancing the construction of industry management systems. Research and revise regulations on practice licensing and supervision of accounting firms, CPA registration procedures, and qualification assessment mechanisms for CPAs. Develop improved supervisory frameworks for accounting firms engaged in key areas such as audits of listed companies, and enhance information security management protocols for accounting firms. Revise the Basic Accounting Work Standards and the Archives Management Measures for Accounting Records. Research revisions to the Ministry of Finance's measures for implementing accounting supervision.
(2) Strengthen the development of corporate accounting standards.
Continuously improve the enterprise accounting standards system by clarifying its framework, optimizing its hierarchical content, enhancing internal consistency, and maintaining unity and authority. Summarize achievements, effectiveness, and lessons learned in building this system. Ensure the standards serve China's economic development needs while independently and dynamically maintaining continuous convergence with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
Develop or revise enterprise accounting standards, interpretations, and accounting treatment regulations. Comprehensively review and update the chart of accounts for enterprises, refine financial statement formats, and periodically update the compilation of enterprise accounting standards. Establish an industry-specific accounting manual system and strengthen guidance on the application of enterprise accounting standards in specific industries. Enhance theoretical research and practical exploration of enterprise accounting under new economies, business models, and forms—including artificial intelligence, digital economy, platform economy, financial innovation, and green low-carbon development—while ensuring robust technical reserves and practical guidance for standard-setting.
Strengthen mechanisms including departmental joint meetings, technical liaison group sessions, issue collection for implementation, and tracking analysis of implementation progress. Conduct analyses on the implementation of corporate accounting standards. Regularly issue notices on annual report work to address common and representative issues arising during standard implementation. Enhance coordination between tracking analysis of corporate accounting standards implementation and accounting supervision to improve the quality of standards implementation.
(3) Strengthen accounting systems for government and non-profit organizations.
Develop and formulate government revenue standards to standardize revenue accounting by government accounting entities, supporting the integrated management of fiscal resources and budgets. Advance pilot programs for cost allocation in public data resource governance and accounting for mining rights transfers, develop relevant accounting treatment regulations, and adapt to the needs of digital economy development and state-owned natural resource management. Issue interpretations of standards and systems as needed on accounting issues in key areas such as technology transfer outcomes. Continuously improve the accounting system framework for funds (capital), revise accounting standards for housing provident funds and social security funds, and provide an accounting system foundation for a sound social security system.
Strengthen inter-departmental communication mechanisms, enhance guidance on applying government accounting standards and systems in specific sectors, and further ensure effective implementation of these standards. Conduct research on the application of government accounting information to support improved industry management and internal administration within government agencies and public institutions.
(4) Advance the construction of a sustainable disclosure standards system.
Develop application guidelines for key industries in the implementation of climate disclosure standards, and formulate a series of sustainability disclosure standards—including biodiversity and SME-specific standards. Establish robust assurance standards for sustainability information, and nearly complete a unified national sustainability disclosure framework. Implement a dynamic revision mechanism to ensure the forward-looking nature and scientific rigor of these standards. Form the National Standardization Technical Committee on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG).
Actively promote the pilot implementation of published guidelines and steadily advance enterprise disclosure capabilities in a phased, categorized manner. Foster a thriving ecosystem for sustainable disclosure, assurance, evaluation, and analytics to fully leverage the value of sustainability information.
(5) Strengthen internal control development.
Revise the internal control standards for administrative and public institutions as well as enterprises, and refine application guidelines for internal controls in key industries, high-risk areas, and special business operations. Develop and study internal control standards for non-profit organizations and other entity types to further expand the coverage of the internal control standard system.
Launch pilot programs to strengthen internal control construction in administrative and public institutions, supporting scientific fiscal management. Refine the "promote construction through reporting, drive implementation through evaluation" model by continuing to compile internal control reports and conduct evaluations for administrative and public institutions, while improving quality review mechanisms for both reports and evaluations. Strengthen coordinated efforts in internal control development and gradually establish a closed-loop management mechanism covering "risk assessment, system improvement, effective implementation, periodic evaluation, and application of results." Establish a linkage mechanism for transferring clues and driving rectifications to advance the application of internal controls across inspections, disciplinary supervision, audits, and financial oversight. Continuously encourage listed companies and state-owned enterprises to enhance their internal control systems and carry out robust internal control evaluations and audits. Solidify the implementation of corporate internal control standards in private enterprises and financial institutions. Build an internal control case library to fully leverage cases for demonstration and warning purposes.
(VI) Deepen the application of management accounting comprehensively.
Establish guidelines for management accounting applications in areas such as financial shared services, value chain management, and comprehensive budgeting to continuously refine the management accounting application framework. Develop industry-specific guidelines to deepen the adoption of management accounting tools and methods across various sectors and organizations. Formulate evaluation criteria for management accounting applications and launch pilot programs to assess their implementation. Create a mechanism for maintaining a regular database of management accounting cases to promote a series of replicable and scalable best practices. Issue consulting service guidelines for management accounting to guide intermediary service providers in enhancing the quality of their consulting offerings. Leverage management accounting to support organizational strategic planning, drive cost reduction and efficiency improvements, and optimize public resource allocation, thereby maximizing its overall impact.
(7) Strengthen the development of auditing standards for certified public accountants.
Focus on enhancing the ability to detect financial fraud by accelerating revisions to auditing standards related to fraud identification and response, and timely issuing practical guidance for key industries and business areas. Strengthen practical direction to help certified public accountants better address systemic fraud and third-party collusion in fraud, thereby promoting higher quality of accounting information and internal governance among operating entities through high-quality professional services. Issue technical guidelines for sustainable information assurance, digital intelligence-driven, and technology-enabled services. Deepen research on auditing standards under digital intelligence environments. Continue to implement and refine closed-loop management mechanisms, further strengthen evaluation and approval deliberations of standards, and consistently enhance their scientific rigor, relevance, and operability.
(VIII) Promote effective implementation of accounting laws and regulations.
Effectively implement the newly revised Certified Public Accountants Law and continue strengthening training on the Accounting Law, national unified accounting standards, and CPA practice standards. Improve the legal publicity mechanism by diversifying formats and content to enhance effectiveness. Actively address practical concerns through timely publication of application cases, FAQs, and policy interpretations. Uphold the combination of rule of law and moral governance, strengthen professional ethics development, and foster a culture of compliance and integrity.
IV. Steadily advance the development of a scientific and reasonable accounting talent system
Implement the new-era strategy for building a talent powerhouse, aligning with economic priorities and industry needs. Refine the end-to-end service management system for accounting talent across education, training, evaluation, and utilization. Build a core force of accounting professionals and establish premier institutions for talent development to strengthen support for high-quality growth.
(I) Enhance the quality of talent development.
Align with trends such as digital accounting transformation, integration of business and finance, and sustainable disclosure to build a tiered, categorized competency framework and talent development system for accountants. Strengthen integrity education and professional ethics cultivation; research ethical standards for accountants working in human-machine collaboration models in the digital era; and continue advancing integrity initiatives in the profession. Enrich continuing education content, optimize delivery methods, update the Continuing Education Professional Subjects Guide for Accountants, advance the CPA continuing education platform, enhance resource sharing, and establish a lifelong learning system that is multi-stakeholder driven and universally accessible. Expand the reserve pool of CPAs and build a sustainable industry talent pipeline. Increase training support for grassroots accountants in small and medium-sized enterprises, bookkeeping agencies, and rural areas.
(II) Strengthen the cultivation of high-end talent.
Strengthen policies for cultivating high-end accounting talent, enhance end-to-end project management, and refine the overall development framework. Optimize the "Head Goose Leads, Geese Fly in Formation" talent model to build a vertically integrated, specialized talent pipeline. Focused on developing political, professional, technical, multidisciplinary, and international accounting professionals, we aim to cultivate enterprise, public sector, CPA, academic, and global accounting experts who meet the demands of high-quality economic and social development. This initiative provides essential professional support for building a modern industrial system and expanding high-level opening up.
(3) Improve the talent evaluation system.
Research and refine accounting talent evaluation standards and systems aligned with the requirements of new-era development. Improve the system for professional accounting technical qualification examinations, strengthen organizational management of these exams, and enhance the review process for senior and chief-level accountant titles. Continuously refine the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) examination system, deepen reforms to the exam quality assurance framework, ensure exam content better reflects real-world practice, and consistently improve the efficiency and quality of exam services. Further promote mutual recognition and alignment between professional accounting technical qualifications, CPA credentials, and other professional qualifications. Revise the regulations for selecting and honoring advanced accounting practitioners nationwide, effectively organize the selection and awarding process, establish exemplary role models, and unite efforts toward progress.
(4) Expand talent utilization channels.
Build a platform for deploying accounting talent. Strengthen the expert consultation mechanism for accounting reform and policy formulation, and leverage the expertise of the accounting talent pool to support accountants in participating in key fiscal research projects, policy development and promotion, accounting supervision and inspection, professional training, and serving as external mentors at universities. Employers should effectively utilize accounting talent to maximize their professional strengths. Support and encourage international accounting professionals to actively engage in global accounting governance and the development of relevant international standards.
(5) Advance the construction of talent development platforms.
Further advance high-quality development of the National Academy of Accounting by focusing on Party building, core priorities, strategic guidance, and primary responsibilities. Enhance the academy's core competitiveness to establish it as a premier hub for cultivating advanced accounting professionals, a new think tank for fiscal and economic policy, and an international platform for collaboration in finance and accounting. Optimize the regional distribution of accounting talent, strengthen functions for talent aggregation and cultivation services, and develop distinctive comparative advantages tailored to each region.
V. Vigorously advance the construction of a high-quality and efficient accounting service system
Deepen reform and opening-up in the accounting services sector, pursue capacity expansion and quality improvement simultaneously, and balance development with regulation. Continuously foster new growth drivers, advance the specialization and high-value positioning of the industry, promote its high-quality and efficient development, and ensure it remains dynamic yet healthy and orderly.
(I) Promote high-quality development of the public accounting profession.
Strengthen Party building within the CPA industry. Improve the "vertical and horizontal integration" management system for industry Party work, continuously enhancing the coverage and quality of Party organizations and activities. Strengthen the political and organizational functions of Party branches in accounting firms, build a robust team of Party branch secretaries and Party affairs workers, leverage Party building advantages to mitigate practice risks and improve audit quality. Uphold Party-led mass organization development, promote synergistic advancement of united front and mass group work across the industry, intensify efforts to cultivate non-Party representatives, youth, and women professionals, and fully mobilize the construction capacity of the new social strata within the CPA industry.
Support the industry in strengthening integrity, improving audit quality, expanding service networks, and enhancing standardization and professionalism to solidify the foundation for healthy development. Build a group of large accounting firms with strong comprehensive service capabilities, market credibility, and influence; cultivate specialized and innovative small-to-medium-sized firms; and guide the formation of an orderly competitive landscape where large, medium, and small firms each showcase their unique strengths. Identify new growth areas and expand the scope of services offered by accounting firms. Optimize the external environment by promoting clear and rational definitions of CPAs' legal liabilities, continuously implementing procurement mechanisms focused on quality, and legally safeguarding the ethical, objective, independent, and impartial practice of CPAs. Explore establishing a mechanism for professional liability assessment. Enhance the industry's capacity to manage professional risks and improve the professional liability insurance system for accounting firms. Elevate internal governance by encouraging firms to strengthen their governance frameworks and foundational standards, thereby stimulating endogenous momentum. Deepen the comprehensive evaluation of accounting firms, establish and refine a credit evaluation system for the CPA profession, and leverage it for effective guidance. Revise and update model partnership agreements for accounting firms to promote a partner appointment, evaluation, compensation, and exit system oriented toward quality, clearly defining quality management responsibilities at all partnership levels. Drive improvements in compensation distribution mechanisms within accounting firms. Conduct industry cost research and assessments, implement comprehensive measures to address "involutionary" competition. Continue incentive programs for ethical CPA practice, promote a culture of integrity, and deepen the roots of honest professional conduct. Increase promotional efforts for the CPA industry to enhance its reputation. Optimize the management of accounting firms engaged in listed company audits to improve audit quality in capital markets. Establish and improve a complaint and reporting system for the CPA industry. Regularly address issues such as nominal practice and practicing beyond competency limits, while intensifying penalties for violations of laws and regulations. The CPA Association should strengthen industry planning and talent development, reinforce self-regulation and supervision, and provide support for enhancing service quality, expanding business areas, and adopting innovative technologies.
Further advance the internationalization of the CPA profession. Deepen its integration into the national overseas comprehensive service system, enhancing brand influence and global recognition. Support accounting firms in exporting "manufacturing + services," continuously improve one-stop and accompanying service capabilities, explore the new "sailing together" model, and provide stronger support for Chinese enterprises' overseas trade and investment cooperation.
(II) Promote the standardized and orderly development of bookkeeping services.
Shift the bookkeeping industry from scale-driven expansion to quality and efficiency gains, continuously enhancing professionalism, standardization, and rule of law. Revise the Administrative Measures for Bookkeeping Agencies, refine the administrative approval system for bookkeeping services, strengthen filing management, and improve exit mechanisms. Explore development of professional practice standards for bookkeeping agencies, ensuring strict compliance with the Accounting Law and national unified accounting systems. Strengthen joint regulatory oversight and conduct regular crackdowns on illegal and non-compliant practices in the sector. Develop a credit evaluation framework for bookkeeping agencies to incentivize high-quality service delivery. Conduct research on capacity building and quality improvement for bookkeeping agencies, promote internal governance, and disseminate standardized, replicable, compliant, and high-quality operational practices to foster industry branding. Encourage bookkeeping agencies to leverage artificial intelligence to better serve small and medium-sized enterprises.
Revise the administrative measures for accounting agencies associations to strengthen annual filing and internal governance. Enhance business guidance for these associations, guide them in delivering quality member services, and fully leverage their self-regulatory role.
VI. Continuously advance the construction of a collaborative and efficient accounting supervision system
Fully implement the decisions and部署 of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council to strengthen financial supervision and crack down on financial fraud. Maintain a high-pressure stance with a strict tone, adhere to the principles of "enhanced scrutiny, closing loopholes, imposing severe penalties, and correcting misconduct," and legally punish financial fraud and audit violations. Strengthen inter-departmental coordination, improve the linkage mechanism between administrative law enforcement and criminal justice, continuously enhance the quality of accounting information, and effectively safeguard market economic order.
(I) Crack down severely on financial fraud.
Strictly enforce the Accounting Law and other relevant laws and regulations, solidify responsibilities across all entities, and establish a clear accountability framework. Focus on conducting ongoing accounting information quality inspections in industries and sectors critical to national livelihoods. With the goal of "clearing existing violations and preventing new ones," rigorously investigate and penalize financial fraud. Crack down on illegal acts such as fabricating economic transactions, inflating profits to manipulate financial statements, and preparing false financial reports. Trace fraud chains thoroughly and prosecute third parties that collude in fraud, accelerating the removal of existing fraudulent accounts. Shift focus upstream to prevent issues before they arise by strengthening routine monitoring and early-warning mechanisms. Leverage big data and digital tools to enhance regulatory capabilities and curb the emergence of new fraud cases. Prioritize addressing severe violations and egregious incidents by holding involved organizations and individuals accountable under the law. Enhance transparency through enforcement disclosures and public communications, open channels for public and media oversight, publish inspection announcements and typical case studies, and continue leveraging these cases to educate on legal compliance. Promote effective implementation of unified national accounting standards and strengthen internal accounting supervision mechanisms and control systems within organizations.
(II) Enhance the audit practice quality of certified public accountants.
Adhere to a problem-oriented and goal-oriented approach, comprehensively strengthen supervision of audit firm practices, and continuously improve audit quality. Establish a routine mechanism for supervising and inspecting practice quality, focusing on illegal and irregular acts such as missing key audit procedures, forging audit evidence, and issuing false reports; increase enforcement actions and enhance deterrence. Continuously optimize the industry self-regulation system and impose stricter penalties for violations of independence requirements and serious deficiencies in quality management systems. Deepen coordination between administrative supervision and industry self-regulation, improve joint oversight mechanisms, and build regulatory synergy. Encourage audit firms to fully assume their primary responsibilities for practice supervision, strengthen quality management, reinforce risk awareness and bottom-line thinking, effectively fulfill their audit attestation role, and maintain a clean and fair market environment.
(3) Strengthen internal oversight within the organization.
Strictly implement the primary responsibility for internal accounting supervision within the organization. The organization shall strengthen daily oversight of its economic activities, financial management, and accounting practices. Based on its actual conditions, the organization shall establish a clear internal accounting supervision mechanism and an internal control system with well-defined responsibilities and effective constraints, specifying the subjects, scope, procedures, and authority of internal supervision. The chief person in charge of the organization shall bear primary responsibility for accounting supervision work, ensuring the authenticity and completeness of the organization's financial and accounting affairs and accounting records. The organization shall clearly designate the department or personnel responsible for accounting supervision to conduct daily inspections and monitoring of the organization's economic activities, financial and accounting practices, and accounting records.
(4) Strengthen cross-departmental collaboration.
Establish and improve mechanisms for information sharing, referral of leads, collaborative supervision, and sharing of results among various oversight bodies to ensure seamless integration and coordination. Strengthen collaboration with inspection teams and disciplinary inspection and supervision organs; promptly transfer cases involving corruption such as embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, or bribery through financial fraud discovered during inspections, in accordance with management authority. Build and refine mechanisms for administrative penalty notifications and referral of problem leads among finance, audit, state-owned asset supervision, tax, financial regulation, and securities regulation departments. Enhance coordination with public security agencies to pursue comprehensive accountability—administrative, civil, and criminal—for acts of financial fraud.
(5) Deepen cross-border regulatory cooperation.
Continue advancing accounting and audit regulatory cooperation with relevant countries and regions, establish pragmatic and flexible regulatory collaboration mechanisms, and jointly prevent and combat cross-border illegal activities. Strengthen regulatory exchanges and law enforcement coordination with overseas regulators to urge domestic and foreign accounting firms to enhance compliance awareness and standardize professional practices.
VII. Systematically Advancing the Construction of an Accounting Digital Intelligence System through Integrated Innovation
Strengthen the top-level design for the digital and intelligent development of accounting. Comprehensively advance a unified, secure, controllable, intelligent, and efficient accounting system. Proactively promote its transformation and upgrading to better serve the construction of Digital China.
(1) Establish and improve accounting and audit data standards.
Plan, establish, and implement accounting data standards covering input, processing, and output in accounting information systems to lay the foundation for digital transformation. Promote the adoption of electronic voucher accounting data standards and advance end-to-end paperless automation for receiving, reimbursing, posting, and archiving electronic vouchers. Revise the General Classification Standard for Enterprise Accounting Standards, explore a single-source framework for enterprise financial reporting, enhance data sharing and interoperability, and strengthen accounting data governance capabilities. Implement accounting data standards for small and micro enterprises to improve credit access and address financing challenges through standardized data. Develop classification standards for corporate sustainability information to elevate the digital maturity of sustainability reporting. Strengthen the auditing data standard system for certified public accountants and drive its integration into accounting software and audit tools.
(2) Promote the digital and intelligent transformation of organizational accounting practices.
Integrate digital and intelligent technologies with accounting practices to advance their deep fusion. Safely and steadily promote the application of big data, artificial intelligence, and other information technologies in financial accounting, management accounting, internal control, and sustainable disclosure, continuously elevating the digital and intelligent capabilities of organizational accounting. Strengthen integration between organizational accounting information systems and business or archive systems, enhance interoperability with external systems such as finance, tax, banking, suppliers, and customers, and optimize models for financial shared services and cloud computing to drive consolidation, automation, and intelligence in accounting operations. Reinforce security management for digital and intelligent accounting to ensure compliance with laws and regulations when adopting modern information technologies. Develop evaluation criteria for digital and intelligent accounting, launch pilot evaluation programs, and build a case library of best practices to showcase exemplary transformations and guide future initiatives.
(3) Promote the digital and intelligent transformation of CPA auditing.
Deepen the application of digital intelligence technologies in CPA audits to empower the profession with expanded capacity and improved quality. Continuously advance the digitization of bank confirmations, encouraging more banking financial institutions and accounting firms to connect to the bank confirmation platform. Build an industry-wide shared technology platform, develop a related-party inquiry support system, and enable co-creation and sharing of general software tools and industry knowledge bases. Promote tiered and categorized adoption of information technologies, guiding accounting firms of different sizes to build audit operations and internal management systems tailored to their circumstances, while strengthening R&D on intelligent audit tools. Enhance research on the application of AI and other information technologies and address key issues supporting CPAs in audit practice. Strengthen network and data security management at accounting firms to ensure autonomous, secure, controllable solutions with clear accountability.
(4) Enhance the digital and intelligent capabilities of accounting management.
Continuously build and optimize the unified regulatory platform for the certified public accountant (CPA) industry. Promote the use of intelligent recognition technology in CPA registration, qualification checks, firm transfers, deregistration, and audit report filings to integrate information across registration, qualification assessments, practice, disciplinary actions, and deregistration. Continuously upgrade the code assignment and verification functions for audit reports and advance real-name authentication for audit reports while expanding application scenarios for verification codes. Leverage big data and artificial intelligence technologies to strengthen real-time dynamic monitoring and early warning systems, effectively identify abnormal practices and risk hazards, implement differentiated regulatory measures, and promote the aggregation, integration, and sharing of industry regulatory data.
Continuously optimize the national bookkeeping agency supervision and service platform. Further promote cross-platform and cross-departmental information exchange for industry supervision services, strengthen sharing of approval and filing data, dynamically monitor and intelligently identify illegal activities and abnormal operations of agencies, effectively support joint departmental supervision and credit evaluation, and enhance off-site supervision efficiency.
Optimize and enhance the National Unified Service Management Platform for Accounting Personnel. Promote end-to-end digital management of elite accounting talent development, and establish databases for elite accounting professionals and accounting consulting experts. Facilitate data sharing among accounting personnel and grant authorized access to relevant data across all levels of accounting administration bodies and affiliated organizations. Consolidate information on accounting examinations, professional titles, continuing education, rewards, and disciplinary actions, while strengthening statistical analysis and application capabilities.
Strengthen the construction of the accounting supervision and inspection platform, continuously enhance its data analysis and early warning capabilities, fully leverage its support role, empower accounting supervision with artificial intelligence, and steadily improve supervision effectiveness.
Upgrade and enhance the internal control reporting system for administrative and public institutions to achieve routine management of internal control evaluations and report preparation. Implement intelligent analysis and auditing to further improve the standardization and convenience of these processes.
VIII. Actively Advance the Construction of an Open and Collaborative International Governance System for Accounting
Comprehensively participate in the formulation of international accounting standards, steadily advance equivalence and mutual recognition of accounting and auditing standards, and open up the accounting services market. Continuously deepen and actively lead regional and bilateral/multilateral cooperation and exchanges to promote reform and development through openness.
(I) Fully participate in the development of relevant international standards.
Comprehensively engage in international mechanisms across corporate accounting, government accounting, sustainability disclosure, accounting information systems, and CPA auditing. Actively support outstanding Chinese representatives for positions within these mechanisms, enhance communication and coordination on major reforms in global accounting governance, and deeply participate in governance strategy matters related to the development of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Closely track cutting-edge and emerging issues in international standard-setting, leverage China's unique context and practical experience, mobilize diverse stakeholders, and conduct high-quality theoretical and practical research. Fully utilize various international accounting governance mechanisms to strengthen communication, exchange, and collaboration; proactively engage in international standard-setting; promptly submit high-quality recommendations that reflect China's realities and represent Chinese interests; and promote standards that better align with China's national conditions, meet local practice needs, and showcase excellence in Chinese accounting practices.
(II) Steadily advance mutual recognition of accounting standards and open the accounting services market.
Support China's continued deepening of opening-up and connectivity with overseas capital markets. Consolidate achievements in mutual recognition of accounting and auditing standards with Hong Kong, the EU, Russia, the UK, Switzerland, and others. Steadily advance consultations on equivalence and mutual recognition of accounting, auditing, and sustainability disclosure standards with other countries and regions. Align with the requirements of two-way capital market openness by strengthening supervision of accounting firms authorized to audit mainland-listed companies in Hong Kong, effectively serving China's high-level opening-up. Upholding the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation, benchmark international high-standard trade rules, actively engage in negotiations to open up the accounting services market, and achieve new results in opening up the accounting sector.
(3) Continuously deepen multilateral and bilateral accounting exchanges and cooperation.
Continuously optimize the exchange mechanism of the "Belt and Road" Accounting Standards Cooperation Forum, actively expand membership, and enhance the forum's appeal and influence. Deeply engage in and lead policy and technical work within regional mechanisms such as the Asia-Oceania Accounting Standards-Setting Bodies Group (AOASBG), coordinate positions effectively, and strengthen China's influence on international standard-setting. Leverage global accounting exchange platforms to showcase China's accounting standards system achievements, knowledge framework, and best practices. Further solidify communication channels with standard-setting bodies of major economies, develop new platforms for management accounting exchanges, explore cooperation opportunities with other countries and regions, build global accounting partnerships, and expand the circle of international accounting collaboration.
9. Accelerate the development of an accounting knowledge system grounded in China's reality
Drawing on China's accounting reform and development practices and learning from valuable international experiences, conduct forward-looking, strategic, and reserve-oriented research. Summarize underlying patterns, refine distinctive concepts, and highlight original theories to advance innovative accounting theory and better guide and serve practical application.
(I) Strengthen research and breakthroughs on key issues.
Build a "1+5+N" accounting knowledge system, actively promote innovation in basic accounting theory, and focus on summarizing and refining accounting knowledge across 5 core areas—financial accounting, management accounting, financial management, internal control, and auditing—as well as N specific directions including government accounting, accounting supervision, and sustainable development. Guide scholars and experts to address the tasks of Chinese modernization and frontiers of economic and social development by identifying key research questions across different domains and dimensions for themes such as accounting and national governance, accounting and macro-microeconomic operations, accounting and tax-fiscal reform, and accounting and sustainable development. Conduct high-quality, efficient research initiatives accordingly. Strengthen research on digital-intelligent accounting theories, models, algorithms, and related technologies to support the application and transformation of digital-intelligent accounting. Promote the organization of accounting historical records and the dissemination of accounting culture, deepen research into accounting history and heritage, and enrich the cultural depth of the accounting knowledge system.
(II) Promote the development of accounting disciplines.
Advance the development of accounting discipline systems and degree education reform, exploring seamless integration of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs in accounting. Deepen industry-academia-research collaboration by optimizing curriculum design, textbook development, and case studies, while integrating knowledge across multiple domains. Strengthen construction of accounting teaching practice bases. Enhance the quality of professional accounting graduate education and steadily expand the number of accounting doctoral degree-granting institutions and their enrollment and training capacity.
(3) Improve the academic research work mechanism.
Continuously strengthen efforts to build a comprehensive accounting knowledge system and optimize the organizational framework and platform support for academic work. Enhance platforms for accounting association academic activities, including annual conferences, thematic seminars, and specialized forums. Explore flexible and efficient new mechanisms for professional think tanks, establish a nationwide collaborative linkage mechanism among accounting academic societies, and encourage local accounting associations to partner with universities to create high-quality, regionally distinctive think tank platforms. Fully leverage the leading role of diverse academic talents to foster a national accounting research landscape characterized by "horizontal collaboration and vertical integration."
(4) Promote the application of research findings.
Leverage seminars, special lectures, and high-end training to promote achievements of the accounting knowledge system. Further strengthen the leading role of core journals such as "Accounting Research," organize exchanges and collaborations among accounting journals, and foster a well-structured, distinctive, and synergistic journal ecosystem. Systematically review outstanding achievements in accounting, establish an academic library for accounting, and support teaching, research, and professional practice. Accelerate the translation and application of accounting knowledge system outcomes, and refine the accounting discourse framework.
10. Safeguards
(1) Strengthen organizational support.The Ministry of Finance will strengthen overall coordination and guidance, promptly research and coordinate key issues in accounting reform and development, and actively promote the effective implementation of priority tasks. Finance departments at all levels and relevant central competent authorities must attach importance to and enhance accounting management and supervision, improve institutional mechanisms, strengthen staffing, focus on team building and capacity enhancement, and foster collaboration to boost collective effectiveness, ensuring the plan is effectively implemented. We encourage active participation from relevant social sectors to establish a work framework featuring government guidance, multi-party involvement, and coordinated advancement.
(II) Ensure effective implementation of tasks.The Ministry of Finance will integrate planning tasks and measures into annual key work priorities on a rolling basis, implement ledger-based management, strengthen responsibility allocation and supervision to ensure implementation, coordinate the development of seven major systems, conduct timely mid-term and final evaluations, and guarantee that planned tasks are effectively implemented. Local finance departments and relevant central authorities should align with their development stages and comparative advantages, adapting measures to local conditions for precise execution.
(3) Strengthen public outreach and guidance.The Ministry of Finance will clarify the planning, collaborate with relevant entities to strengthen public outreach, promptly address public concerns, build broad social consensus, and foster a supportive environment where all sectors of society actively care for, support, and advance accounting reform and development.
Published: 2026-11-11