- China’s FTZs pilot openness before nationwide roll-out; the Lin-gang Special Area (announced 6 Aug 2019, Guofa [2019] No. 15) is explicitly built as a “special economic function zone” with a 119.5 sq km start-up area.
中国自贸区先行试点开放再向全国推广；临港新片区（2019 年 8 月 6 日宣布设立，国发〔2019〕15 号）明确定位为”特殊经济功能区”，先行启动区面积 119.5 平方公里。- Lin-gang offers a reduced 15% corporate income tax for five years from establishment for enterprises in key fields — integrated circuits, AI, biomedicine and civil aviation — engaged in core-segment production and R&D.
临港对集成电路、人工智能、生物医药、民用航空等关键领域从事核心环节生产研发的企业，自设立起 5 年内减按 15% 征收企业所得税。- The Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone (25.31 sq km) is the only “special comprehensive bonded zone” among China’s customs special supervision areas, running a “frontier fully open, second line highly free” model.
洋山特殊综合保税区（25.31 平方公里）是中国海关特殊监管区域中唯一的特殊综合保税区，运行”一线充分放开、二线高度自由”模式。- FTZs apply “pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list”, so foreign and domestic capital are treated alike outside the list and FIE steps move from approval to filing.
自贸区实行”准入前国民待遇加负面清单”，清单之外内外资一致，外商投资项目及外资企业的设立变更由审批改为备案。- A Free Trade Account (FTA) lets qualified enterprises handle cross-border RMB with simplified procedures.
自由贸易账户（FTA）使优质企业以简化流程办理跨境人民币业务。- A Comprehensive Bonded Zone suspends duty: imported goods are bonded, Mainland-to-zone goods qualify as exports with refund, and in-zone processing, logistics, R&D and e-commerce are permitted.
综合保税区暂缓征税：进口货物保税，境内货物入区视同出口并退税，区内可开展加工、物流、研发与跨境电商。- Lin-gang relaxes barriers for high-end talent with overseas qualifications (finance, construction, planning, design) and opens a green channel for R&D teams’ work permits and residence.
临港放宽具有境外金融、建筑、规划、设计等职业资格的高端人才从业限制，并为研发团队开设工作许可与居留”绿色通道”。- Lin-gang also signals an IIT differential subsidy for overseas talent so high-end foreign professionals are not penalised by the China–home tax gap.
临港还提出对境外人才实施个税税负差额补贴，使高端外籍人才不因中外税负差受损。
Lingang & free trade zones playbook | 临港新片区与自贸区实操手册
Overview
China’s free trade zones (FTZs, 自由贸易试验区) are designated geographic areas where the state pilots openness and regulatory reforms before they are extended nationwide. The first — the China (Shanghai) Pilot FTZ — was launched in 2013. By the end of the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan, 18 FTZs accounted for 17.6% of national foreign investment and 14.7% of imports and exports on under 0.4% of the country’s land area, making them the single most concentrated channel for foreign-invested activity. Within this system, the Lin-gang Special Area (临港新片区) stands apart: approved by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and announced on 6 August 2019 (the *Overall Plan* is Guofa [2019] No. 15), it is explicitly built as a “special economic function zone” benchmarked against the world’s most competitive free-trade ports.
This playbook explains what Lin-gang offers, what general FTZ benefits a foreign firm can rely on anywhere in the network, and a practical landing sequence for setting up.
Lin-gang Special Area: the policy package
The Lin-gang Special Area’s initial启动 area covers 119.5 square kilometres in south-east Shanghai — Nanhui New City, the Lingang equipment industrial zone, Xiaoyangshan Island and the area south of Pudong Airport. Its stated goal is to deliver “investment freedom, trade freedom, capital freedom, transport freedom and freedom of employment” (投资自由、贸易自由、资金自由、运输自由、人员从业自由). The five freedoms, plus information connectivity and an internationally competitive tax regime, are what distinguish Lin-gang from an ordinary FTZ.
On trade, the Plan creates a physically fenced zone inside Lin-gang — the Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone (洋山特殊综合保税区) — which, at 25.31 sq km and accepted by a State Council joint inspection in May 2020, is the only “special comprehensive bonded zone” among China’s customs special supervision areas. It operates a “frontier fully open, second line highly free” (一线充分放开、二线高度自由) model: goods from outside China enter the zone bonded or duty-free, and goods moving from the Mainland into the zone are treated as exports with refund. On capital, the Plan supports piloting integrated RMB/foreign-currency functions for the Free Trade Account (FTA, 自由贸易账户), exploring free capital inflow/outflow and convertibility within the zone, and allowing funds raised offshore by in-zone enterprises to be used freely for in-zone and offshore operations.
The tax edge and talent provisions
The most concrete benefit for an investor is the corporate income tax (CIT) break. For enterprises in Lin-gang engaged in the production and R&D of core segments in key fields — integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, biomedicine and civil aviation — the CIT is levied at a reduced 15% rate for the five years from the date of establishment. The Plan also signals a policy of subsidising the individual income tax (IIT) differential for overseas talent, so that high-end foreign professionals are not penalised by the gap between Chinese and home-country tax rates. Foreign-invested firms in advanced manufacturing and R&D should treat the 15% CIT window as a location decision variable, not just a tax footnote.
On people, Lin-gang relaxes barriers for high-end talent in modern services: it allows qualified professionals with overseas qualifications in finance, construction, planning and design, after filing, to provide services in the zone, and counts overseas professional experience as domestic experience. It also opens a “green channel” for work permits and permanent or long-term residence for leading research and innovation teams.
General FTZ benefits available to foreign firms
Outside Lin-gang specifically, every FTZ in the national network gives a foreign firm a common toolkit. The headline reform is “pre-establishment national treatment plus a negative list” (准入前国民待遇加负面清单) for foreign investment: outside the list, foreign and domestic capital are treated alike, and foreign-invested projects and the incorporation/change of FIEs move from approval to filing. Complementary reforms include the “separating licences from certificates” (证照分离) reform, which cuts the permits needed to start operating, and the FTA cross-border settlement and financing framework that lets qualified enterprises handle cross-border RMB with simplified procedures.
On the customs side, FTZs host Comprehensive Bonded Zones (综合保税区) and other customs special supervision areas where imported goods are bonded, goods sent from the Mainland into the zone qualify for export refund, and in-zone processing, logistics, R&D, testing, repair, cross-border e-commerce, commodity display and international entrepôt trade are permitted. The combination — easier market entry, a bonded customs environment and an FTA for cross-border cash — is the core “FTZ advantage” a foreign SME should expect regardless of which zone it picks.
A landing playbook for foreign firms
A disciplined sequence works as follows. First, screen the sector against the national negative list and the FTZ negative list; if the activity is in a pilot-opened area (e.g., certain modern-service and professional-service sub-sectors), the zone route removes the restriction. Second, pick the zone by function — Lin-gang and its Yangshan zone for manufacturing/R&D and offshore-oriented trade, other coastal FTZs for sector-specific strengths — and confirm the local “indent catalogs” (鼓励类/重点产业) that unlock fiscal incentives. Third, decide the entity form (WFOE is the default for operational control) and prepare the filing rather than approval package. Fourth, open an FTA and, if importing or exporting through the zone, structure the supply chain to use bonded warehousing. Fifth, model the CIT/IIT incentives early, because the 15% Lin-gang CIT only applies to the named key fields and only for the five-year window from establishment.
What to do next
- Screen your sector against both the national and the FTZ negative lists before committing to a location.
- If you are in IC, AI, biomedicine or civil aviation R&D/manufacturing, model the 15% Lin-gang CIT over the five-year establishment window.
- Choose a zone by function, not prestige — Lin-gang/Yangshan for manufacturing and offshore trade, others for sector fit.
- Prepare a filing-based incorporation package; most FIE steps in an FTZ are filing, not approval.
- Open a Free Trade Account to simplify cross-border RMB receipt and payment.
- Use the zone’s Comprehensive Bonded Zone for bonded imports, processing and re-export to cut working-capital and duty cost.
Sources
- [The Overall Plan for the China (Shanghai) Pilot FTZ Lin-gang Special Area — Guofa [2019] No. 15 (State Council / gov.cn)](https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2019-08/06/content_5419154.htm)
- China (Shanghai) Pilot FTZ Lin-gang Special Area Administration (official portal)
- MOFCOM briefing on the Lin-gang Special Area Overall Plan
- People’s Daily: Yangshan Special Comprehensive Bonded Zone and the “five freedoms” of Lin-gang
Related reading
- see also: Greater Bay Area: opportunities for SMEs
- see also: Free trade zone bonded logistics playbook
- see also: Tax treaty benefits for foreign investors
临港新片区与自贸区实操手册
概述
中国的自由贸易试验区（FTZ）是国家在局部区域先行试点开放与监管改革、再向全国推广的指定区域。首个——中国（上海）自由贸易试验区——于 2013 年设立。到”十三五”末，全国 18 个自贸试验区以不到全国千分之四的国土面积，贡献了 17.6% 的外商投资和 14.7% 的进出口，是外商投资活动最集中的单一渠道。在这一体系中，临港新片区地位特殊：经党中央、国务院批准，于 2019 年 8 月 6 日宣布设立（总体方案为《国发〔2019〕15 号》），明确定位为对标全球竞争力最强自由贸易园区的”特殊经济功能区”。
本手册说明临港新片区提供什么、外国企业可在全国自贸区网络中依赖的通用优惠，以及一套务实的落地步骤。
临港新片区：政策组合
临港新片区先行启动区域位于上海东南，面积 119.5 平方公里，涵盖南汇新城、临港装备产业区、小洋山岛及浦东机场南侧。其目标是实现”投资自由、贸易自由、资金自由、运输自由、人员从业自由”。这五大自由，加上信息快捷联通与国际竞争力的税收制度，正是临港区别于普通自贸区的标志。
在贸易方面，总体方案在临港内设立物理围网区域——洋山特殊综合保税区，面积 25.31 平方公里，于 2020 年 5 月通过国务院联合验收，是中国海关特殊监管区域中唯一的特殊综合保税区。其运行”一线充分放开、二线高度自由”的模式：境外货物入区保税或免税，境内区外货物入区视同出口并退税。在资金方面，方案支持开展自由贸易账户本外币一体化功能试点，探索区内资本自由流入流出与自由兑换，并允许区内企业从境外募集的资金自主用于区内及境外经营投资活动。
税收红利与人才条款
对投资者最具体的利好是企业所得税（CIT）优惠。对临港新片区内符合条件的从事集成电路、人工智能、生物医药、民用航空等关键领域核心环节生产研发的企业，自设立之日起 5 年内减按 15% 的税率征收企业所得税。方案还提出研究实施境外人才个人所得税税负差额补贴政策，使高端外籍人才不因中外税负差而受损。从事先进制造与研发的外商投资企业，应将这 15% 的 CIT 窗口视为选址决策变量，而非仅仅一项税务注脚。
在人员方面，临港放宽现代服务业高端人才的从业限制：允许具有境外金融、建筑、规划、设计等领域职业资格且符合条件的专业人才，经备案后在区内提供服务，其在境外的从业经历可视同国内经历；并为科研创新领军人才及团队开设工作许可与永久或长期居留的”绿色通道”。
外国企业可享的通用自贸区优惠
除临港专属政策外，全国自贸区网络为外国企业提供一套通用工具箱。核心改革是对外商投资实行”准入前国民待遇加负面清单”：清单之外内外资一致，外商投资项目及外商投资企业的设立、变更由审批改为备案。配套改革包括”证照分离”，削减开业所需许可；以及自由贸易账户（FTA）跨境结算与融资框架，使优质企业以简化流程办理跨境人民币业务。
在海关层面，自贸区设有综合保税区等海关特殊监管区域：进口货物保税，境内货物入区享受出口退税，区内可开展加工、物流、研发、检测、维修、跨境电商、商品展示与国际转口贸易。市场进入更便利、保税监管环境、以及用于跨境资金的自由贸易账户——这三者的组合，就是无论选择哪个片区都应有的”自贸区核心优势”。
外国企业落地实操手册
一套有纪律的步骤如下。第一，对照全国负面清单与自贸区负面清单筛查行业；若业务属于先行开放领域（如部分现代服务业与专业服务子项），走片区路径即可解除限制。第二，按功能选片区——临港及洋山片区适合制造/研发与离岸导向贸易，其他沿海自贸区按各自产业强项——并确认能解锁财政激励的本地”鼓励类/重点产业”目录。第三，确定主体形式（追求经营控制通常以 WFOE 为默认），准备备案而非审批材料。第四，开立自由贸易账户；若经片区进出口，应将供应链结构设计为使用保税仓储。第五，尽早测算 CIT/IIT 优惠，因为临港 15% CIT 仅适用于所列关键领域，且仅自设立起 5 年窗口内有效。
下一步建议
- 在确定选址前，先同时对照全国与自贸区负面清单筛查行业。
- 若从事集成电路、人工智能、生物医药或民用航空的研发/制造，测算临港 15% CIT 在五年设立窗口内的效益。
- 按功能而非名气选片区——制造与离岸贸易看临港/洋山，其他产业看匹配度。
- 准备以备案为基础的设立材料；自贸区内的外资步骤多为备案而非审批。
- 开立自由贸易账户，简化跨境人民币收付款。
- 利用片区综合保税区开展保税进口、加工与复出口，降低营运资金与关税成本。
来源
- 《中国（上海）自由贸易试验区临港新片区总体方案》国发〔2019〕15 号（中国政府网）
- 中国（上海）自由贸易试验区临港新片区管理委员会（官方网站）
- 商务部副部长王受文介绍临港新片区总体方案有关情况
- 人民日报：洋山特殊综合保税区与临港”五个自由”
相关阅读
- see also: 粤港澳大湾区：中小企业的机遇
- see also: 自贸区保税物流实操手册
- see also: 外商投资企业的税收协定待遇