To further enrich the strategic planning for the construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone, we will strive to blaze new paths to construct the Inland Free Trade Zone. Recently, the People’s Government of Sichuan Province has adopted the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Leading Engineering Construction of the China (Sichuan) Pilot Free Trade Zone which proposed the target to build Sichuan into a world-class high-quality free trade zone that links the east and west, serves the whole country with inland-based foothold and global-oriented perspective by 2022.
The Opinions proposes to implement the "action plan for construction of an open gateway", build a pan-European and pan-Asian railway transportation system, spare no efforts to construct international aviation hubs, and build a shipping center in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River (Sichuan), thus jointly improving connectivity. It also specified to create an international center for transshipment, encourage foreign airlines to set up bases for international transit in Sichuan, and explore to adopt the fifth freedom rights. It calls for upgrading quickly the functional platforms of Luzhou Port and Yibin Port and developing the commodity trading market near ports. It supports the construction of the southwest (Zigong) land port, and establishment of an integrated logistics system for comprehensive multimodal transportation.
It calls for implementing the "Two-Area" construction action, establishing a demonstration zone for the coordinated opening-up of the inland and areas along the seas, borders, and rivers, deepening the linkage with coastal areas, strengthening cooperation with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, and Pan-Pearl regions, and undertaking the processing industry and order transfer of coastal cities. It also urges us to strengthen collaboration with borders, build land ports in cities with logistics nodes such as Yunnan, Guizhou, Xinjiang, and Guangxi, in an effort to promote opening-up and cooperation in the financial sector.
In line with the Opinions, we will create inland free trade ports, strengthen basic research, and strive to explore an inland free trade port with Chinese characteristics based on the “aviation + railway + port” and combining the advantages of multimodal transportation within the special customs supervision area. We will highlight the opening-up of the south region, work with Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao Greater Bay Area and Beibu Gulf Economic Zone to promote cooperation with South Asian and Southeast Asian in trade, production capacity, channel and cultural tourism, so as to integrate into the network for free trade in the south. We will promote eastward opening-up, strengthen collaborative cooperation with ports in Chongqing, Wuhan, Nanjing and Shanghai, exploit fully the Golden Waterway of Yangtze River, and facilitate the eastbound waterway linking Sichuan to the outside world. we will deepen westward and northward opening-up, integrate into the “Belt and Road” construction, and promote cooperation with European countries in education, culture, medical care, tourism, global maintenance, high-tech and international logistics.
At the same time, it is necessary to implement the “opening and upgrading actions” to build a unique and open industrial system. Chengdu Tianfu New Area is positioned to develop “Five Centers and One Hub” by centering on Chengdu. It will highlight the development of modern service industries, high-end manufacturing, high-tech, airport economy, port service and other industries, and forge a gateway and a highland for opening-up in the western region. We will launch a global campaign of “Attractive PFTZ and Open Sichuan”, promote high-level exchanges with key countries, and organize big international activities themed on economic and trade negotiations, special forums, and cultural exchanges to enhance the level and effectiveness of exchanges between our province and relevant countries.
