The First Meeting of the Advisory Committee of China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) was held in Nanning on Dec 23 both online and on-site.

Zhou Hanmin, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC and the chairman of the Advisory Committee for Guangxi FTZ, hosted the meeting online.

Thirteen members from the Advisory Committee of Guangxi FTZ attended the meeting including Zhai Kun, a professor at the School of International Studies of Peking University, and Zhang Songsheng, the chairman of the Singapore Business Federation.

The meeting was themed "catching the opportunity of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and building the Guangxi FTZ into a high-quality RCEP core demonstration zone."

The Guangxi FTZ has taken many innovative measures to boost cross-border trade facilitation since its inauguration in 2019.

Drawing on its unique locational advantages, the free trade zone has actively promoted trade cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and accelerated the establishment of cross-border industrial chains, value chains and supply chains between Guangxi FTZ and ASEAN countries.

By the end of November, there were more than 50,000 new companies that have settled in the Guangxi FTZ, which is 13.6 times more than when it was established. Foreign trade imports and exports and foreign investment in actual use accounted for 32.9 percent and 38 percent of the total amount of the entire Guangxi FTZ region. Leading companies such as Huayi, Tencent, and Huawei have settled down in the zone.

Zhou Hanmin hosts the First Meeting of the Advisory Committee of China (Guangxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone online. [Photo/WeChat account: gh_df8bc987e060]