Pei Jinjia, Party secretary of Xiamen, said that the SEZ's sound development is the result of guidance and support from the CPC Central Committee and the central government.

Pei analyzed Xiamen's status quo, saying that as its role as a vanguard remains unchanged it faces new challenges and must aim for higher goals.

Xiamen should explore innovative ways to deepen reform and opening-up with advanced manufacturing and modern service sectors as the pillars of its industrial system, according to Pei, who also said that Xiamen should strengthen cross-Straits cooperation and heighten relations with Belt and Road nations.

ABB Group, or ASEA Brown Boveri, a Switzerland-based hi-tech multinational, underwent significant growth in Xiamen in recent years thanks to the SEZ's supportive business environment, according to Chen Silin, vice president of ABB China. Chen is a firsthand witness of the SEZ’s evolvement, having lived in Xiamen for 30 years. ABB is active in robotics, power and automation. It was among the first of the Fortune Global 500 enterprises to invest in Xiamen. In September 1992, ABB set up a joint venture to produce switch products in the city which is now an important base for the group's operations in China.

Chen said that ABB's international employees have found Xiamen a nice place to settle down, as it offers a quality lifestyle complete with a beautiful environment, good public security and good hospitality.