Ministry: New FTZs to help further opening-up

The six newly established free trade zones in China will further facilitate high-level opening-up and boost high-quality development through deeper reforms, the Ministry of Commerce said Monday.

The FTZs in this latest batch are located in Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Hebei, Yunnan and Heilongjiang.

Till now, 18 FTZs have sprung up across the country. Wang Shouwen, vice-minister of commerce, said the move shows the government's resolve to achieve high-level opening-up and support an opening world economy.

In order to better serve the overall strategy, the six FTZs will tap into their geographical advantages to deepen trade and economic cooperation with neighboring countries and regions, Wang said at a news conference.

For instance, the Guangxi FTZ aims to promote cross-border trade, logistics and labor cooperation and to boost opening-up in the border areas, Wang said. The Heilongjiang FTZ will step up collaboration with Russia by facilitating the movement of people across the border and encouraging companies to expand overseas, he said.