China's pilot FTZs continue to advance high-standard opening up

China

China's pilot FTZs continue to advance high-standard opening up

2026-06-04 23:43 Last Updated At：06-05 02:27

China's pilot free trade zones (FTZs) have continued to optimize their operations to drive institutional innovation this year, steadily enhancing the quality and vitality of the country's economy.

In the Manzhouli sub-zone of the newly established Inner Mongolia FTZ, reform measures aimed at facilitating port customs clearance have been rapidly implemented. By streamlining cumbersome offline approval processes and eliminating redundant checks at multiple checkpoints, the zone has significantly smoothed the flow of goods for import and export.

Officially launched on April 9 as China's 23rd national-level pilot FTZ, the Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone covers 119.74 square kilometers across three sub-zones in Hohhot, Manzhouli and Erenhot. As a critical northern border gateway linking Russia, Mongolia and the broader Eurasian market, the Manzhouli sub-zone is tasked with leveraging its unique geographical advantage to deepen cross-border economic and trade cooperation.

"Since the launch of the pilot free trade zone, Manzhouli has seen substantial expansion in its foreign trade scale. From January to April, the total foreign trade import and export volume increased by 43.1 percent year on year," said Qi Zhenhong, deputy head of the cooperation and exchange group at Manzhouli.

The strong performance in Inner Mongolia is part of a broader national trend. Latest data from the Ministry of Commerce shows that in the first four months of 2026, the total utilized foreign investment and total foreign trade import and export volume of China's FTZs nationwide both grew by more than 30 percent year on year, with their shares in the national total rising to 27.4 percent and 22.3 percent respectively, hitting record highs.

To sustain this momentum of high-level opening up, FTZs are also strengthening their capacity to drive regional development. This year, the Beijing and Shanghai pilot FTZs released updated negative lists for cross-border data transfers, which have been replicated and promoted across their respective municipalities.

To date, nine pilot FTZs and the Hainan Free Trade Port have formulated and implemented negative lists for cross-border data transfers, covering 28 sectors including retail and reinsurance. Meanwhile, various FTZs are also accelerating the implementation and effectiveness of expanded opening-up pilots in fields such as biotechnology.

"Looking ahead, the Ministry of Commerce will support pilot FTZs in exploring more institutional opening-up experiments based on their strategic positioning and distinctive advantages, encouraging whole-industry-chain integrated innovation tailored to local conditions, aiming to build diverse open highlands. We will also step up efforts to replicate and promote successful practices, ensuring that the dividends of institutional innovation are released on a broader scale," said Ma Chengfang, deputy director of the Department of Free Trade Zones and Ports at the Ministry of Commerce.

Russia ready to talk with Ukraine at U.S. military base: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia is fully prepared and willing to negotiate with Ukraine at a U.S. military facility in Anchorage, Alaska, while his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky proposed a face-to-face meeting.

At a meeting with heads of major international news agencies attending the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin said Russia remains prepared to pursue a negotiated settlement based on a framework discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in Anchorage in August 2025.

He said Russia is ready to accept the compromises discussed at the meeting and expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would also agree to them.

Ukraine has previously rejected the Anchorage framework, as it calls for Ukraine to cede territory.

Meanwhile, Putin said Russian troops are advancing along the entire line of contact and have taken complete control of the Luhansk region, 85 percent of the Donetsk region and 80 percent of the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia's Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev said at the 29th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Thursday that despite efforts by forces seeking to prolong the war to disrupt talks between Russia and the U.S., bilateral engagement on Ukraine has made substantive progress.

Dmitriev dismissed reports that Russia-U.S. contacts have stalled, accusing other European nations of spreading disinformation to hinder the peace process.

Dmitriev also said that on Wednesday he had spoken by phone with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and discussed bilateral economic cooperation.

He said the U.S. side had underscored the need to embrace peace rather than engage in constant provocations and confrontations.

The U.S. has been pushing for peace and Ukraine should join the process, Dmitriev noted, adding there were plans for further contacts with Witkoff and Kushner next week.

Later on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published an open letter to Putin, proposing to end the conflict through direct talks between the two leaders.

Relevant parties, including European countries and the U.S., should be part of the peace negotiations, the letter stated.

Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire during the talks and proposes an exchange of prisoners of war on the principle of "all for all," Zelensky also said in the letter.