After a record year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2021, thanks to the dual-circulation policy and ongoing industrial upgrades, China’s M&A market is experiencing a period of cooling. This is down to the rising uncertainties in the international and domestic economic outlook. That said, China remains the world’s hottest market for several industries, with high prospects for growth, innovation, and investment. Among others, China’s ambitious decarbonation and digitalization goals are ramping up M&A activities in relevant industries. Alongside the optimistic outlook, investors must note China’s recent regulatory moves that restrict the scope for certain types of M&A deals and increases the compliance burden on involved parties. M&A dealmakers might be faced with longer approval timelines and extensive information disclosure requirements. In this issue of China Briefing magazine, we discuss the market outlook, regulatory trends, and SME strategies for M&A in China. We begin by presenting an overview of China M&A deals struck in 2021 and the start of 2022. Then, we investigate major regulatory provisions and their impact on M&A transactions. Finally, we summarize some practical M&A strategies for SMEs, whose limited scale creates challenges for financing and management of larger projects. | 
