Tianjin’s Free Trade Zone Promotes Institutional Opening-up

The information office of the Tianjin municipal people's government held a press conference on April 27 to outline efforts to upgrade the city's pilot free trade zone (FTZ) and accelerate the construction of a high-standard platform for institutional opening-up.

Established on April 21, 2015, Tianjin's FTZ has achieved remarkable results over the past decade, implementing 686 institutional innovation initiatives, with 49 replicated nationwide. It has focused on four major areas:

Deepening alignment with international rules

The FTZ pioneered a system aligning with international economic and trade rules, implementing the pre-establishment national treatment plus negative list model, fully opening up the manufacturing sector, and streamlining administrative approvals through reforms such as "separating permits from the business license". It also established China's first FTZ intellectual property office and specialized courts for sectors like financing leasing and intellectual property.

Driving institutional innovation and resource allocation

Tianjin has advanced distinctive financial innovations, expanding the use of FT accounts with nearly 35 billion yuan ($4.8 billion) in pooled cross-border funds and total business volume exceeding 1.1 trillion yuan. Innovations at the oil and gas trading center have resulted in transaction volumes exceeding 10 billion yuan.

Empowering industries and new productive forces

Tianjin leads nationally in key industries, pioneering pilot programs for parallel automobile imports and second-hand car exports, accounting for 70 percent of the country's parallel imports. New industries, such as internet freight transport and cross-border e-commerce, are thriving, while biopharmaceutical innovation is supported through a "green channel" for clinical imports.

Advancing coordinated development and global connections

The FTZ has strengthened coordination within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with unified government services and integrated customs clearance. It has also forged strategic ties with global FTZs, including those in the UAE and Singapore, further integrating into the global free trade network.

Tianjin's FTZ will continue to spearhead reform and opening-up, building a strong platform for China's high-level institutional openness.