Shanghai, November 7th (Xinhua) — During the 8th China International Import Expo, the “Invest in China” Pilot Free Trade Zone promotion event of the 8th Hongqiao International Economic Forum was held simultaneously in Shanghai. This special event focusing on seven pilot free trade zones in the western and border areas not only showcases the exploration achievements of China’s pilot free trade zones over the past decade with institutional innovation as the core, but also conveys to the world China’s firm stance of adhering to open cooperation and mutual benefit.
At present, China’s pilot free trade zones have formed a reform and opening up innovation pattern that covers the east, west, north, south, and central regions, and coordinates coastal, inland, and border areas, “said Sheng Qiuping, Deputy Minister of Commerce. It is reported that in 2013, China’s first pilot free trade zone was established in Shanghai. In 2017, China established Chongqing, Sichuan, and Shaanxi Pilot Free Trade Zones for the first time in the western region; Since 2019, Guangxi, Yunnan, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang pilot free trade zones have been established successively in border areas.
In the view of the forum participants, the Western and Border Free Trade Pilot Zones are based on their own geographical advantages and have found their own positioning in the national opening-up pattern. For example, Chongqing and Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zones have jointly built the Chengdu Chongqing Economic Circle, forming a trillion level modern industrial cluster in electronic information, equipment manufacturing, advanced materials, and other fields; Shaanxi Pilot Free Trade Zone has deeply participated in the joint construction of the “the Belt and Road”, built an international logistics hub integrating port, trade and industry, and carried out international economic and trade exchanges in the field of agricultural seed industry and cooperation in the fields of industry and energy.
As the core carrier area of Shaanxi Pilot Free Trade Zone, Xixian New Area empowers industrial innovation and promotes the improvement of leading industries and the layout of emerging industries through institutional innovation of the pilot free trade zone. Yang Shengliang, Deputy Director of the Xixian New Area Management Committee of Shaanxi Province, said that Shaanxi Pilot Free Trade Zone has shaped leading industries such as photovoltaics, new energy, and special special vehicles, and actively laid out emerging and future industries such as hydrogen energy, energy storage, and drones.
As a pilot free trade zone along both the border and the coast, Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone is striving to become a highland for the artificial intelligence industry facing ASEAN. The China ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation Center has attracted 16 overseas enterprises to settle in.
Thanks to its advantageous location and convenient flow of factors, Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone has initially established a cross-border industrial chain supply chain for characteristic agricultural product processing, petrochemical industry, electronic information, new energy vehicles, and other industries facing ASEAN, “said Wang Xinhong, the full-time deputy director of the Guangxi Pilot Free Trade Zone Work Office.
The pilot free trade zone allows local areas to explore first and then promote their experience to the whole country, which not only reduces risks but also continuously promotes reforms, playing a significant role in promoting high-quality development in China, “said Yao Shenhong, Director of the Strategic Planning and South South Cooperation Department of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization.