China (Yunnan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (Dehong Area)
The State Council published the master plan for China (Yunnan) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) on August 26, 2019. China (Yunnan) Pilot FTZ is one of the first border pilot FTZs in China. The implementation scope is about 119.86 square kilometers and consists of three areas, namely Kunming Area, Honghe Area and Dehong Area. Dehong area of China (Yunnan) Pilot FTZ is in the administrative scope of Ruili City with 29.75 square kilometers, including the main urban area of Ruili City and Jiegao border trade zone, which implements the "inside the territory while outside the customs" supervisory mode only in China.
The main development goals of Dehong area: comprehensively fulfill requirements of the CPC Central Committee for accelerating opening up in border areas, focus on creating the main passageway to link the Belt and Road and the Yangtze River Economic Delta, and build an important node to link the South and Southeast Asia Passageway. Promote to form a pivot and frontier for China to open up to South and Southeast Asia. After making explorations in the upcoming 3-5 years, strive to build a high standard and high quality FTZ, which has facilitated trade and investment, convenient transportation and logistics, free flow of factors, financial services innovation and completion, safe and highly efficient supervision, top-class ecological environment and quality, and a remarkable pivot role.
The main features of Dehong area are as follows: firstly the geographical advantage is unique, and the portal hub position is more striking. Dehong area is the starting point for China-Myanmar Economic Corridor to extend out of China, and this corridor is the most convenient and safest passageway for China to link South and Southeast Asia and neighboring countries of the Indian Ocean by way of Myanmar. The United Nations has listed Ruili as one of international land port cities in 2013. Secondly it boasts good foundations for foreign trade, business environment, and plentiful pioneering experience. Ruili City where the Dehong area is located has two national Class A ports and Jiegao Border Trade Zone, which implements the "inside the territory while outside the customs" supervisory mode only in China. Dehong area has not only accumulated much experience in opening up to domestic and outside world, but also fostered enterprises and management talents that adapt to opening up and development and play pioneering roles. Therefore, the historic accumulation is destined to become the cornerstone for Dehong area to build the FTZ. Thirdly the cross-border production capacity cooperation has enormous potential, and new opportunities will be ushered in for opening up in the border areas. Under the new international situations, in line with Belt and Road International Cooperation and "Yunnan Province Pivot" construction requirements, Dehong area will realize interactive development with China (Ruili)-Myanmar (Muse) Border Economic Cooperation Zone.
The main work of Dehong Area in the next step: The pilot tasks of the FTZ should be completed with high quality strictly in accordance with the requirements of the CPC Central Committee, the State Council and CPC provincial Committee and Government on one hand. On the other hand, based on the actual "border" situations, closely focus on the keyword "cross-border", complete a batch of "optional projects" with the characteristic of Dehong area in line with requirements of the free trade and the international standards, build a key node of the pivot to open up to South and Southeast Asia with cross-border cooperation, cross-border finance, cross-border e-commerce, cross-border tourism, cross-border logistics, big health industry as the focus, in a bid to provide experience and reference for the development and opening up in border areas.
