Recently, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the “Opinions on Implementing the Strategy for Improving the Free Trade Pilot Zone”.
China has released a guideline for improving the country’s pilot free trade zones (FTZs). The guideline was issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council.
The plaque of the Kashgar area of the China (Xinjiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone photographed on November 11, 2023. Image source: Xinhua News Agency
【Knowledge Points】
The free trade pilot zone is an important platform for my country to independently establish unilateral opening up within its territory. It is a special economic area with a clear regional scope and a test field for comprehensively deepening reform and expanding opening up. The main purpose is to focus on institutional innovation, replicable and popularize as the basic requirement, benchmark international high-standard economic and trade rules as a means, and risk prevention and control as the bottom line, and explore new ways and accumulate new experience for comprehensively deepening reform and expanding opening up. Unlike other free trade parks in the world, my country’s free trade pilot zones have surpassed the functions built with bonded as the core. Through institutional innovation, they have formed a more systematic and integrated policy system, which not only covers the trade field, but also includes freedom of investment, open financial innovation, transformation of government functions, personnel entry and exit, transportation, data flow, scientific and technological innovation, industrial development, etc., aiming to deepen reform and opening up in many aspects such as economy, society, and the rule of law, and through replication and promotion, point-to-face, we can achieve a greater scope of reform dividend sharing and open results in universal benefits.
On September 29, 2013, China’s first free trade pilot zone, the China (Shanghai) Free Trade Pilot Zone, was unveiled. Establishing the Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone is a major measure taken by the Party Central Committee to start from the general trend of domestic and international development, coordinate the domestic and international situations, and promote reform and opening up under the new situation. After the establishment of the Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone, my country’s first negative list for foreign investment access was released and implemented, marking the end of the era of case-by-case approval of my country’s foreign investment, and the filing management of foreign investment outside the list began. In 2015, Guangdong, Tianjin and Fujian Free Trade Pilot Zones were established. In 2017, the pilot free trade zones of Liaoning, Zhejiang, Henan, Hubei, Chongqing, Sichuan and Shaanxi were established. In 2018, the Hainan Free Trade Pilot Zone was established. In 2019, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Hebei, Yunnan and Heilongjiang Free Trade Pilot Zones were established. The Lingang New Area of Shanghai Free Trade Pilot Zone was added. In 2020, the free trade pilot zones in Beijing, Hunan and Anhui were established. In 2023, the Xinjiang Free Trade Pilot Zone was established.
Over the past decade, the Party Central Committee has successively deployed and established 22 free trade pilot zones in 7 batches, forming a reform and opening up innovation pattern covering east, west, south, north and middle, and coordinating the coastal, inland and borders. These free trade pilot zones have made extraordinary achievements in leading high-level opening up to the outside world and promoting high-quality economic development. The dividends of reform, opening up and innovation they have released have continuously benefited the world, making China’s contribution to promoting the construction of an open world economy. The China Free Trade Pilot Zone is a pilot field for reform and a window for opening up. On this fertile land, various institutional innovations emerge one after another. Over the past decade, 22 free trade pilot zones have deployed thousands of reform pilot tasks, involving investment and trade liberalization and facilitation, financial services to the real economy, and transformation of government functions, forming a relatively complete free trade pilot zone policy and system framework system. The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made major arrangements to implement the strategy of improving the free trade pilot zone, and gave the free trade pilot zone a greater historical mission. On the new journey, the free trade pilot zone will surely continuously release new momentum in greater efforts to reform and opening up, and become a demonstration and leader of high-quality development.
【Important Speech】
We must implement the strategy of improving the free trade pilot zone in depth and promote the quality improvement and upgrading of the international trade center.
It is important to thoroughly implement the strategy of upgrading pilot free trade zones, and promote the upgrading of the international trade center.
——Important speech by Xi Jinping during his inspection tour in Shanghai from November 28 to December 2, 2023
【Important Instructions】
We must adhere to the Party’s overall leadership, adhere to high-level opening-up as the guide and institutional innovation as the core, coordinate development and security, connect with international economic and trade rules with high standards, deepen institutional opening-up, strengthen overall planning and systematic integration of reform, promote innovative development of the entire industrial chain, and allow the free trade pilot zone to play a better role in demonstration.
To enable pilot FTZs to better play an exemplary role, it is essential for them to uphold overall Party leadership, pursue high-level opening up as the guidance and institutional innovation as the core, coordinate development and security, align domestic rules with international economic and trade rules by high standards, further promote institutional opening-up, strengthen overall planning and systematic integration of reform, and promote innovative development of the entire industrial chain.
——According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, September 26, 2023, Xi Jinping made important instructions on deepening the construction of free trade pilot zones
【Related Words】
High-level opening to the outside world
high-standard opening up
Modern industrial system
modern industrial system,
China Daily Network English Dots and Tianjin Studio (this article was first published on the “Study Strong Country” learning platform)
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[Editor in charge: Chen Danni]
