China is implementing the “FTC upgrading strategy”; Hunan published its implementation plan on 4 August 2026 with targets to 2030.中国正实施「自贸试验区提升战略」；湖南于 2026 年 8 月 4 日发布实施方案，目标至 2030 年。 The plans widen market access inside FTZs: foreign-owned vocational training, qualified foreign … China’s FTZ Upgrading Strategy: What the 2026 Provincial Plans Open (2026)Read more
自贸区落地 / FTZ Setup
Lingang & free trade zones playbook
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 … Lingang & free trade zones playbookRead more
Foreign-Capital Facilitation Inside China’s FTZs in 2026
The 2025 edition of the Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment added a net 205 encouraged items, focusing on advanced manufacturing, modern services, high-tech and energy conservation. 2025年版《鼓励外商投资产业目录》净增205条鼓励类条目，重点在先进制造、现代服务、高新技术与节能环保。 All manufacturing-sector foreign-investment market-access restrictions have been eliminated, shifting the openness … Foreign-Capital Facilitation Inside China’s FTZs in 2026Read more
Comprehensive Bonded Zones Get a 2026 Upgrade: 24 Measures for “Capacity and Quality”
On 14 April 2026 the State Council approved, and the General Office forwarded, the General Administration of Customs’ “Several Measures for Promoting the Capacity and Quality Upgrade of Comprehensive Bonded Zones” (国办函〔2026〕40号) — 24 reform measures, the first such top-level … Comprehensive Bonded Zones Get a 2026 Upgrade: 24 Measures for “Capacity and Quality”Read more
Hainan FTP Customs Closure and the 2026 FTZ Policy Rollout
Hainan FTP’s island-wide customs closure on 18 December 2025 rests on six supporting policies: the import-taxed goods catalogue, the goods-circulation tax policy, the prohibited/restricted list, the customs supervision measures, the processing-value-add tax-collection measures, and the “second-line” port management measures. 海南自贸港全岛封关运作（2025年12月18日）依托六项配套政策：进口征税商品目录、货物流通税收政策、禁限清单、海关监管办法、加工增值免关税税收征管办法、”二线口岸”运行管理办法。 … Hainan FTP Customs Closure and the 2026 FTZ Policy RolloutRead more
China Adds Its 23rd Free Trade Zone: Inner Mongolia and the 2026 FTZ Upgrade Strategy
On 9 April 2026 the State Council published the Overall Plan for the China (Inner Mongolia) Pilot Free Trade Zone, raising China’s FTZ count to 23 — the first new FTZ of the “15th Five-Year Plan” period. 2026年4月9日，国务院发布《中国（内蒙古）自由贸易试验区总体方案》，使中国自贸试验区总数增至23个——这是”十五五”时期设立的首个自贸试验区。 The Inner … China Adds Its 23rd Free Trade Zone: Inner Mongolia and the 2026 FTZ Upgrade StrategyRead more
Hunan FTZ Upgrade Plan: Six Tasks to Deepen Institutional Opening
Hunan FTZ Upgrade Plan: Six Tasks to Deepen Institutional Opening | 湖南自贸试验区提升战略实施方案：六大任务深化制度型开放 Overview In August 2026, the CPC Hunan Provincial Committee and the People’s Government of Hunan Province jointly issued the *Implementation Plan for the In-Depth Implementation of the Free … Hunan FTZ Upgrade Plan: Six Tasks to Deepen Institutional OpeningRead more