Upgrade Pilot Free Trade Zones

Upgrade Pilot Free Trade Zones*

September 24, 2023

Building pilot free trade zones is an important CPC Central Committee strategy for advancing reform and opening up in the new era. Over the past decade, the decisions and plans of the Central Committee have been rigorously implemented in the pilot zones. While continuing to apply what has worked well in the past, those responsible have freed their minds, broken new ground, rolled out a range of pioneering and foundational initiatives, created a large number of innovative and impactful institutional changes, and succeeded in building the pilot zones into comprehensive pilot platforms for reform and opening up.

On the new journey, we should implement the strategy for upgrading pilot free trade zones on the basis of the experience accumulated in the past 10 years. We should be enterprising pioneers who forge ahead, overcome all obstacles, and explore new opportunities in more areas to raise the standards of the pilot zones. We should uphold the Party's overall leadership, aim for high-standard opening up, and focus on institutional innovation. We should coordinate development and security, align ourselves with the most demanding international economic and trade rules, expand institutional opening up, strengthen the overall planning and integration of reform measures, and promote innovation-driven development across entire industrial chains. This will allow the pilot zones to maximize their role as exemplars.

* Directive on advancing the development of pilot free trade zones.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)