<span style="color: black;">China has unveiled its 2021-2025 five-year plan outlining tighter regulatory measures for private companies. The blueprint which outlines regulation of much of its economy says new rules will be introduced covering areas including national security, technology and monopolies in the world's second largest economy. The plan was released jointly on Wednesday by China's State Council and the Communist Party's Central Committee. The plan comes soon after Beijing started targeting the technology and education industries. It said laws will be strengthened for "important fields" such as science and technological innovation, culture and education, monopolies and "foreign-related rule of law". Regulations relating to China's digital economy, including "internet finance, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing etc." will also be reviewed. State media reported a mechanism for penalties and hefty fines and a lifelong ban in the case of severe violations will also be put in place to make offenders pay their due price. The announcement raised fresh concerns that Beijing's clampdown on technology and private education companies is set to continue and expand in years to come. Just days ago, China's former Commerce Minister warned at an international forum that China needs policy predictability to retrain foreign investment.</span><br />'' <span style="color: black;"><br />'' Regulatory onslaught on private business has rattled global investors and triggered fears about the future of innovation in China, as well as the ability for companies to tap capital markets. Shares in many Chinese companies listed in the US, Hong Kong and mainland China have fallen sharply this year as investors' concerns grow over the crackdown and taking a cautious approach for their China investments. Regulators have widely blamed the private sector for creating socioeconomic problems that could potentially destabilize society.</span><br />'' <span style="color: black;"><br />'' In April, Beijing slapped a record 2.8 bn USD fine on technology giant Alibaba after an investigation found that it had abused its dominant market position for years. Last month, Tencent was told to end exclusive music licensing deals around the world. Ride-hailing company Didi which recently went public in New York has been accused of mishandling sensitive user data and the app was removed from appstores. Also in July, some of the country's biggest online platforms ' Kuaishou, Tencent's messaging tool QQ, Alibaba's Taobao and Weibo ' were ordered to remove inappropriate child-related content.<br />''<br />''Last month, Beijing unveiled a massive overhaul of China's $120bn private tutoring sector, under which all institutions offering tuition on school curricula will be registered as non-profit organisations. As per new rules they are not allowed to go public for financing; listed companies should not invest in the institutions, and foreign capital is barred from such institutions. The move came as government warned private tutoring firms against worsening inequality in access to education. Meanwhile, this week China's banking and insurance watchdog stepped up its regulation of online insurance companies, according to local media. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission ordered the firms to stop improper marketing and pricing or face "severe punishment."</span><br />