Vanuatu's Council of Ministers says it won't approve new applications for retailers or wholesalers for the next 12 months.
Our correspondent says the government's decision comes after complaints from local businesses at the rapid increase in the number of Chinese owned wholesale and retail shops in and around Port Vila.
The government's decision is to assist ni-Vanuatu in their business operations as they reportedly cannot compete with larger scale businesses like supermarkets.
The decision of the government will also allowed the Vanuatu Investment Promotion Authority to come up with new regulations to separate wholesale and retail operations.
