China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone Launched Officially on April 1
The establishment of the China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (SXFTZ) was approved at the end of August, 2016 and SXFTZ was endowed with important and special strategic positioning as the one and only province in Northwest of China among the 3rd batch of pilot free trade zones. It is envisioned to facilitate the West Development by taking good advantage of “the Belt and Road” initiative, to expand the opening-up of gateway cities in western China, and to further explore new modes of economic cooperation and cultural exchanges with other countries along the “the Belt and Road”.
Meanwhile, it is necessary to make Xi’an a new field for the reform and opening-up and a gateway city in the West Development, and it is wise to further accumulate good experience through cooperation and exchanges to bring forth innovative ideas.
SXFTZ covers three areas totaling 119.95 sq km: Center Area (87.76 sq km), Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park (26.43 sq km), and Yangling Demonstration Zone (5.76 sq km).
Details are as follows:
Firstly, Center Area is composed of 3 functional areas, including Xi’an Hi-tech Zone (containing Block B of Xi’an Export Processing Zone of 0.79 sq km and Xi’an Hi-tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone of 3.64 sq km), Xi’an Economic Development Zone of 9.515 sq km (including Block A of Xi’an Export Processing Zone of 0.75 sq km), and Xixian New Area (consisting of Type B of Xi-xian Bonded Logistics Center, New Airport City, Qinhan New City, Fengdong New City, and Energy Finance Trade Zone).
Secondly, Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park consists of 2 functional areas, including Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park and Chanba Ecological District.
Thirdly, Yangling Demonstration Zone covers a planning area of 5.76 sq km, relying on Northwest Agriculture & Forestry University and Yangling Agricultural Product Processing Trade Area.
SXFTZ has 3 innovative characteristics, namely innovation of interconnection with countries along “the Belt and Road”, innovation of capacity cooperation and innovation of modern agricultural cooperation. Meanwhile, it tries to build 5 centers, which are international trade and logistics center, international education center of science and technology, international capacity cooperation center, cultural tourism center and regional finance center.
Center Area
Xi’an Center Area, core of SXFTZ, has customs surveillance areas like Xi’an Hi-tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone and Xi’an Export Processing Zone. It aims at building strategic emerging industries and new high-tech industries, promoting service trade promotion system and enhancing the depth and breadth of cultural exchanges concerning “the Belt and Road”.
Center Area is composed of 3 functional areas, including Xi’an Hi-tech Zone, Xi’an Economic Development Zone, and Xixian New Area.
Xi’an Hi-tech Zone
Xi’an Hi-tech Zone will lay emphasis on strategic emerging industries, new high-tech industries, and modern service industries with financial trade as core and producer services as characteristic.
Xi’an Hi-tech Zone Comprehensive Service Hall locates in Block A of Dushizhimen, 1 Jinye Road, High-tech District, Xi’an, covers an area of 4,000 sqm and has 99 service windows.
There are 38 organizations in total which provides 305 kinds of administrative examination and approval services, including 178 immediate handling items.
Xi’an Economic Development Zone
Xi’an Economic Development Zone endeavors to build advanced manufacturing industries and manufacturing services industries, construct pilot zone of financial innovation and demonstration zone of industry and finance integration, and promote international capacity cooperation.
Xi’an Economic Development Zone Comprehensive Service Hall has 48 service windows and 102 seats. There are 26 organizations with 108 staff rendering 132 kinds of administrative examination and approval services. The address is 1st Floor, Block E of Kairui, 166 Mingguang Road, Xi’an.
Xixian New Area
Xixian New Area prioritizes strategic emerging industries and modern service industries such as aviation logistics, aeronautical maintenance, health care, cultural tourism, energy finance, and headquarters economy, strives to build a gateway area facilitating interconnection and cultural exchanges with countries along “the Belt and Road”, and accelerates the mutual development of the pilot free trade zone and the state-level new district.
According to the planning, Xixian New Area is consisted of 4 parts, namely New Airport City which includes customs surveillance areas and customs-free areas, Qinhan New City which consists of aviation supplement areas and cultural exchanges areas linked to “the Belt and Road”, Fengdong New City which comprises service trade innovation areas and cultural business districts, and Energy Finance Trade Zone which prioritizes the development of energy finance trade industries.
Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park
Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park emphasizes the development of industries like international trade, modern logistics, financial services, tourism exhibition and e-commerce, and endeavors to build international inland transit hub port, open finance industry innovation highland, and Asia-Europe cultural exchanges platform related to “the Belt and Road”.
Functional Area of Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park
Functional Area of Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park has the largest land route port in China and includes Xi’an Comprehensive Bonded Zone. It explores machine screening service for large packages in cross-border e-commerce, builds a system of international logistics channel, accelerates the construction of the platform for international trade and the channel for international logistics, and provides a new logistics solution to surrounding areas by land route transport, land-air transport and land-ocean transport.
Xi’an International Trade & Logistics Park Service Hall, which is renovated from former Service Hall, handles 48 types of administrative examination and approval, and realizes the joint handling of 18 certificates at just one window.
Chanba Ecological District
Chanba Ecological District, aiming at constructing a demonstration area of international tourism culture exchanges and a pilot zone of financial innovation along the Silk Road, lays emphasis on 4 distinctive aspects which are financial innovation, cultural tourism, international convention and exhibition, and international trade. Moreover, it centers on foreign services and establishes Visa Application Center to become a core area of international exchanges.
Chanba Ecological District Service Hall implements online application and “joint online handling at one window”.
Yangling Demonstration Zone
Yangling Demonstration Zone strives to promote agricultural science and technology innovation, develop bio-industry, agrotechny, rural finance and agriculture service industry to meet the needs of the countries along “the Belt and Road”, foster export-oriented agricultural industry clusters, and enhance cooperation with international agricultural industries.
SXFTZ makes enterprise establishment and project construction easy
The overall plan of SXFTZ mainly includes duplicated and innovative contents. SXFTZ will redefine the relation between the government and the public in the following ways: firstly, 217 out of 363 provincial administrative approval items will be distributed to SXFTZ; secondly, procedures of examination and approval will be simplified and regulation and credit system construction will be valued; thirdly, services will be optimized and it is possible for a company to get a business license in 3 days; and fourthly, 5 customs surveillance zones will be established to better serve the “going out” strategy.
Influences of SXFTZ on people’s life
The price of the import goods will be 10% to 30% below the market price, as outlet stores will be introduced to SXFTZ.
The price of the same imported cars will be near 30% below the price in 4S stores, as the monopoly of the 4S stores is broken.
Health care expenses will be lower, and high-quality international medical services will be provided without having to go abroad .
Tour abroad can be taken without delay, because Sino-foreign joint venture travel agencies can be registered in SXFTZ, which greatly facilitates outbound travels.
More tax privileges and a lower registration threshold will be given to entrepreneurs, and more jobs in foreign companies will provided.
Entertainment will be more colorful and it is possible for customers to enjoy authentic foreign entertainments and performances.
