China orders all cities to connect investment and construction permits — one database instead of two

China's top development agency just mandated that two separate government databases — one for investment approvals, one for construction permits — share data in real time. This means a developer applying for a building permit no longer has to submit the same project information twice to different agencies.

This is a structural rewire of how Chinese cities process development. Right now, a project gets approved by one agency (investment), then has to be re-documented and re-approved by another (construction). The two systems don't talk. Developers fill out forms twice. Inspectors check the same facts twice. The mandate forces the systems to sync by June 2026, with data flowing every 30 minutes or faster. What changes: a developer submits once, both agencies see the same project code and baseline information. What becomes possible: cities can now run automated compliance checks across the full project lifecycle — flagging violations like 'approved for residential but permitted for commercial' or 'construction started before approval.' The real effect is surveillance. The stated effect is convenience.